I'll Follow the Sun
by JudeStarkeyMcCartney
Summary: Sometimes, running away seems like the only option. Six months have passed since Duel Academy's graduation, and Yuki Judai finally returns to Domino to face all that he had left behind. Will he be able to handle his past? Or will he say his final goodbyes and leave Domino behind forever? You'll have to follow the sun to find out.
1. Prologue

_**A/N: Hello friends! This short story traces the journey of Yuki Judai after he ran away from Duel Academy. Writing this helped me express something I've been going through (to an extent) that Judai experiences in this story. I'll give more details on what that is by the end of this fic. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think.**_

* * *

He couldn't tell anyone. No. What would that accomplish anyways?

There was no one to go home to. If no one is waiting for you, then why limit yourself to one destination?

Judai had went through _a lot_ during his last semester at Duel Academy. In fact, "a lot" is merely an understatement. He didn't like to think about it. He didn't like to dwell on it. Thoughts didn't need to race through his mind in order for him to feel sickeningly numb, anyhow.

Although Judai was able to rescue his dear friend…his dear love, he couldn't stay with him. He couldn't let himself grow attached. Judai needed to leave. He needed to get away from the academy that he had grown too comfortable with.

He needed an _out._

And that's what he was pondering about the night before graduation. Everyone else was dancing and partying in the Obelisk Blue dorms on their last night before separating with each other. They all sang and laughed as if it would make things less painful the next day.

But Judai knew better. He knew any laughs he could spare were temporary. And that he'd be better off if he could just convince himself that they never really mattered to begin with.

The brunette cuddled his back pack close to his chest while sighing as he rested his chin on it. He peeked his eyes at the moon which glistened through the clear glass windows. The stars were especially bright this night. A noticeable difference, but only slightly.

"You don't have to leave them," Yubel appeared with a somber tone. "I've already put you through enough. Go, enjoy their company."

"I have nothing left to say," Judai shrugged carelessly, not even turning to pay Yubel any mind.

"Don't be like this, Judai. What happened to all the happiness you used to radiate?"

"Happiness? What happiness?" Judai questioned dryly. "That wasn't happiness. That was ignorance. Just the thought of it makes me cringe."

"This is all my fault."

Judai didn't respond. He had nothing to say. He stood up weakly, grabbing a few more of his belongings and hurling them into his bag.

"So you're just going to leave? You're just going to get up and run before they have any idea you're gone?"

A sigh escaped his lips, "That's the plan."

"And where are you going to go? Home?"

"What home?" Judai muttered, mindlessly looking around for more stuff.

Yubel looked up at him with a curious glare. Judai responded with a harsher stare.

"Why do you think I even came to duel academy? It wasn't so I could keep up a good pen pal relationship with my parents, that's for sure."

"Well, you do love dueling…I figured you came here to advance your ski—"

"Why do you think I like dueling, Yubel? Why?" He seethed, eyebrows narrowing. "I'll tell you why! It's because I had nothing better to do when my parents weren't around. They'd leave me in the dusk and that's why I befriended a damned trading card! Doesn't it make sense? Don't you get it?"

Yubel's eyes widened in shock. Judai simply groaned in an attempt to shake off his gruff voice. "I have no home."

Loud music blasted from a faraway speaker at the Obelisk dorms. Cheering and laughter followed, causing Judai to look at that general direction. He rolled his eyes at the ordeal.

"Well, I don't know where else you could go. Who else you could return to, considering you don't even want to bid your friends well."

"I don't need anyone to return to. I can go anywhere I want for as long as I want. The world is mine."

"And none of this bothers you? Are you not thinking up there, Judai?"

"There's nothing to think about. I don't need to say bye to my friends for them to know I care about them. They know I'd do anything for them." _Just ask Johan._ "It's easier this way."

Yubel sighed heavily, nodding in acceptance. "Okay, Judai. Do what you desire. I support you."

Judai forced a smile, only because he didn't want to respond.

Besides, he didn't know what to say.


	2. Six Months Later

Judai didn't want to go back.

But eventually the money runs out.

The visas expire.

And reality slaps you in the face.

It was a difficult decision, but eventually, Judai decided he would return home.

The hardest part was arriving in Domino, with no one waiting for him.

Judai never told anyone he was going home, but a part of him hoped that somehow…some crazy miracle would appear and just one person that he knew would be waiting for him.

He knew it wasn't realistic, but the daydream helped pass the time.

Taxi's lined up the street waiting to greet all the lonely people. Judai sighed, brushing his hair out of his face and scampering towards the next available ride. He gave the driver his old address and scooched towards the farthest side of the car, staring out the window.

 _Home sweet home._

But there was nothing really sweet about it.

Although he had been gone for six months, the atmosphere remained as bitter as it was when he first left. Not a single new shop or restaurant to prove that time had passed. It felt as if he had woke up from a long dream and landed back in a frigid reality.

The thought of it made him sigh in loss.

The dark clouds closed in over the city until they let out their tears and cried. Shedding tears that Judai couldn't spare.

Eventually the taxi driver pulled up to 67 Oak Rd, slowly coming to a stop. He cleared his throat in confusion. "Are yah sure this is your home, kid?"

Judai's eyes widened twice the normal amount. His breath grew faster and he immediately began blinking to aid clearer vision.

"I'm…I'm sure," he stuttered.

The driver shrugged. "If you're sure." He got outside of the cab and went to the trunk to pull out Judai's bags. The rain was a progressive issue.

"That'll be 6000 yen."

Judai slipped out a groan, coughing up the money and mumbling his thanks.

The taxi gestured his hand in attempt to wave, though not giving it his full effort, as he pulled away.

Judai watched as he disappeared into the fog, waiting until he was completely gone before staring at his old house.

 _Old._ It wasn't his anymore. If it ever were.

A for sale sign stood in the front yard. The pole was hidden with lanky, tall, weeded grass that appeared like an awful haircut. The paint on the front of the house was chipped off, and the windows were dusted with moss hugging the side of it. Wind shook the shutters in a creepily motion. The drive way was cracked and disoriented.

It was obvious that no one had lived there for a rather long time.

Judai never stopped by his house before his trip to Europe. He never told his family he was leaving. And evidently, neither did they.

Judai scavenged through his bag for his house key, breathing in relief when he found it. He lugged his baggage to the front porch and keyed the front door open.

Empty.

Utterly empty.

Not a single piece of furniture laid inside. Nothing on the walls. Nothing.

Judai dropped his luggage and ran to the kitchen.

Bare.

He rampaged through the cupboards, cabinets and drawers—breathing heavily as he did.

Nothing. Not a single appliance.

Quickly he ran upstairs to where his old room used to be. A part of him prayed that his bed would still be there. That his posters he couldn't take to duel academy would still be on the walls and that his old toy box from his younger days would still reside in the corner.

But there was nothing.

And seeing the bare walls and dust bunnies on the floor along with hearing the echoes from his heavy breath had made him realize that he had nothing to his name.

Judai had always known he didn't have much. He was always able to make the most of everything he did have. But seeing his childhood home left abandoned with no way to go back in time and appreciate it the way it was…

It caused tears to stream down his face for the first time in a long time.

The teen was never one for crying. He had promised himself he wouldn't cry after what happened his senior year at duel academy. He had made sure that he would never get that close to anyone again, so he would never have to experience those feelings…

But it had turned out that feeling completely alone in the world could stimulate those same tears, whether he had liked it or not.

And unfortunately, the tears didn't stop anytime soon. Because of course, when a person cries for the first time in a long time, they aren't just crying about the situation at hand, but rather everything they've held back until then.

All he could manage was to pull out a blanket from his suitcase and wrap it around his body. He laid on the floor and hugged his chest tightly, hoping that if he focused hard enough, he could pretend that all he was hearing was the sound of the rain instead of his own misery.


	3. Sunrise with a Daisy

"Asuka, you look beautiful honey!"

"Oh mom, you're being over dramatic."

"No I'm not, I mean it! You look wonderful!"

Asuka giggled softly, shaking her head. "Whatever you say, mom."

"Are you excited? It's your first breakfast date with this man! What's his name again?"

"Edo Phoenix."

"Oh my! I'm so excited for you! When is he coming?"

"Mom, please-"

The phone began ringing, pulling them out of concentration. "I'll get it!"

Asuka rolled her eyes in amusement, turning to the closest mirror to check out her appearance. She didn't think much of her looks. In fact, she sighed at the sight of herself. Edo had tried so hard to get a date with her, and for some odd reason, Asuka couldn't figure out why. What did she have to offer that he so desperately wanted? She wasn't sure, but she was hoping to find out this morning.

"Honey, there's someone on the phone for you."

"Who is it?" Asuka called, brushing loose ends out of her face.

"Um, he says his name is Judai."

Silence.

"Do you know a Judai?"

Asuka swung around to face her mom in complete shock. "Yuki Judai?"

Her mom shrugged, putting the phone back towards her mouth. "Is it Yuki Judai?"

Asuka didn't wait to find out; she ran over to the phone and snatched it from her.

"Judai?!" She quickly gasped into the phone.

It was silent for a moment.

Too silent.

She was beginning to think this was some sort of practical joke.

"Asuka," a familiar, comforting voice rang. "Boy is it nice to hear your voice."

Almost cinematically, Asuka's mind began reeling with memories of her beloved classmate and their time together at Duel Academy. She definitely had a soft spot for him, but he never seemed to notice.

"Judai…where are you?"

It was all she could think of asking. Besides, he had disappeared before graduation. The last time she got to see him was right before the going away party the night before graduation. She always regretted not telling him how she felt. How could she predict it'd be this long since hearing from him again?

She could hear Judai sigh on the line. "I'm…home."

A huge smile crawled on her face. For the slightest moment, she was happy.

But it didn't last long. Anger suddenly swelled her emotions and over took her.

"Yuki Judai! You ran away from school and disappeared for six months! No one knew where you were or if you were okay! You didn't tell anyone! Why the hell would you do that to us? We loved you! We cared about you! We deserved at least a warning before you pulled that kind of stunt!"

Judai chuckled nervously on the other end. "Asuka…I didn't mean to worry you."

"But you did, Judai! You had me scared to death! I couldn't sleep for weeks!" She accidently blurted out, quickly covering her mouth in response. "I mean….well, it wasn't easy, Judai. It just…wasn't easy."

Judai sighed heavily on the line. "I don't deserve this, but…can I see you sometime?"

Asuka breathed in. "You want to see me?"

"Mhm."

She began biting her nails nervously. "When?"

"Anytime you can. The sooner the better. Even now, if you're free."

Asuka quickly grabbed her keys out of her purse. "Send me your address, I'm coming now."

She gave him her cell number and hung up hastily. She began scurrying towards the door.

"Asuka! Where are you going?!" Her mother demanded.

"To go see Judai," she huffed, nearly out the door.

"But what about Edo?"

"He can wait. Judai needs me."

"But…hasn't he been making you wait?"

Asuka stopped at the door, looking at her mom with wide eyes. "He has. But it's over now. He's finally come home."

When Asuka pulled up to 67 Oak Rd, she swore she had made a mistake. She double checked the messaged Judai sent her earlier that morning. She studied the picture google maps had shown her of the house. It had looked quite different from the mess in front of her.

After a moment of hesitation and inner debate, Asuka sent Judai a message.

 ** _I'm here….I think._**

 ****A few minutes later, Judai slowly emerged from his house and scampered towards the car. Just the sight of him made Asuka breathe faster.

She quickly unlocked the door in time for him to swing it open. He ducked in and straightened his posture. Asuka noticed his resigned mood, but it only lasted a slight moment. He shook it off and turned to Asuka with the largest, forced smile she had ever seen.

"Asuka," he grinned, as if everything was okay.

Asuka couldn't answer. She stared at him with shaky eyes, investigating him through appearance and emotion.

His hair had gotten a little longer, but not much. It spiked up in all the right places, though it was apparent that he didn't try to make that happen. His skin was kissed by the sun, making her feel a little self-conscience about her lack of tan. A tiny stubble shadowed his chin, but she figured it must have been because he hadn't had time to shave.

She remembered Judai as a lanky, preppy student with lots of energy. Somehow, Judai had grown more muscular and built. His arms were bulky and his black shirt hugged his abs tightly. His brown eyes seemed tired and dull, but they hadn't changed that way for good, she could tell. Not yet.

"Asuka?" He repeated, more question like.

"Judai," Asuka huffed, bowing her head. Words ran through her head as she tried to figure out what to say. She wanted to hug him-yell at him, accuse him and yet love him. So instead, she raised her head, forced a peaceful smile and gazed at him with love. "Your parents aren't the best home keepers," she decided to say, regretting it the moment she said it. But what else was she supposed to say? What words could she utter that would capture how she truly felt without coming on too strong? Heck is she knew.

Judai's fake smile instantly dwindled. He turned to the window and looked out at his house.

"Yeah, they never were," he softly responded.

Asuka grew fidgety at the awkward silence that followed. "Are they still there? Looks like they left a long time ago."

He shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "They moved without telling you? That's absurd!"

Judai chuckled softly. "To be fair, so did I."

The words caused shivers to run down her spine. "Judai…," she turned away to gather up the strength to follow his name with piercing words, "Did you return to an empty house?"

He took in a noticeably deep breath. The ends of his lips curled up, "Yeah. Yeah I did."

Asuka shivered at the sound, lowering her head in defeat. "Judai—"

"Are you hungry, Asuka?" He interrupted kindly, finally turning to look at her with wide eyes.

She stared at him in awe for approximately 2.7 seconds before turning her car on aggressively and looking at the road before her. "You bet I am. Let's get breakfast."

"I didn't bother you this morning, I hope," Judai mentioned softly over a cup of coffee.

"No, I had nothing going on," she lied with a half-smile.

Judai grinned in response. "Good. I found your last name on my phone and tried my luck. I went through a few Tenjoin's before I found you."

Asuka blushed at the thought. "Why me?"

"Why not you?" He retorted.

"Oh I don't know," she grasped her cup of tea harder in her palm. "I figured Sho or Kenzan would be a more fitting first choice."

Judai let out a little chuckle, nodding his head in amusement. "I just wanted someone who would treat me as an equal," he responded honestly. "Someone I could just sit with and talk to as if time hadn't passed."

Asuka grew a little uncomfortable at that statement. "But time has passed Judai," she admitted. "Even I can't hide that fact."

The waitress came by as Asuka finished speaking. "What can I get you two?"

Judai gestured for Asuka to go first. "A fruit parfait with two strawberry pancakes on the side, please," she ordered.

"Uh-huh, and for you?"

"Oh, I'm not that hungry," Judai began.

Asuka's eyes widened in surprise, and soon it shifted to anger. "Judai, what do you mean you're not h—"

"I'll have three eggs, over easy. A stack of three chocolate chip pancakes with extra whip cream. To top it off, a side of sourdough toast and hashed browns as well, please."

Asuka's jaw dropped in shock.

"Oh, and more coffee, please," he smiled sweetly.

The waitress blew the bangs out of her face. "Sure thing," she hummed before scurrying away.

Asuka shook her head in denial. "Not that hungry, huh?"

"Nah," he sighed, "Don't have much of an appetite."

Asuka giggled. "Well, some things never change," she rolled her eyes while taking a sip of tea.

"Yeah, it's unfortunate."

She titled her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The brunette shrugged lazily. "I don't know," he gestured with his hand. "I've been gone for six months and everything looks the same." He looked off steadily into the distance. "Nothing to prove any time passed, yah know?"

Asuka hummed in confirmation. "Judai…where did you go?"

"Europe."

She kept staring, as if begging for more information.

"Amsterdam, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, and Italy."

"Oh my God," she caught herself mumbling.

"Mm."

"Judai," she straightened up her posture in anticipation to hear more. "What happened that night?" She grew slightly embarrassed at the memory. "I tried to get you to go to the party…I tried to make things better for us…but, well," she stopped to shake off her implications, "You didn't even go to graduation. You were gone. No one ever saw you after that."

Judai nodded, swirling circles into the spilled sugar on the table with his finger. "There was nothing left I had to say to anyone," he reminisced. "That was why I left so early."

"Oh Judai," she nodded her head solemnly. "You're so dense, you know that?"

"I'm…dense?"

"Yeah, you are." She stopped to look at her tea, as if words to say would swirl around at the top. "Sho cried when he couldn't find you. Kenzan nearly had a heart attack. No one seemed to enjoy their last moments because a significant friend had ran away."

Judai gazed clueless at Asuka, though she kept avoiding eye contact.

"We all knew you had a rough semester, but no one expected you to leave like that. Your hurt a lot of people, including myself." She sighed heavily. "Whatever was going through your mind that night…whatever way you thought that leaving would make things better…you were wrong. You were selfish, Judai. And for the longest time, I never thought that could be possible."

"I was hurting, Asuka," he exhaled. "It doesn't matter what I was thinking, that was the only way I knew how to solve it."

The waitress came over with a large tray, lowering their food on the tables and grabbing the pot of coffee to fill Judai's cup. She tossed Asuka another bag of tea with a little kettle of hot water.

"Anything else I can get you?"

The two of them both answered "no" in unison. The waitress took off.

"Look, Judai…it's been six months," Asuka cooed in a more uplifting tone. "I didn't come get you to scold you or judge you. I just missed you and I wanted to know why you left. But I'm glad you're here now. Okay?"

Judai smiled softly, "Thank you, Asuka."

She smirked in response, delving her spoon into her parfait. "Anytime."

"You did WHAT?" She laughed, nearly choking on her pancakes at the sound.

Judai laughed at the reaction. "I had to, he was coming at me and Emmanuel with a knife!"

"I'm surprised you didn't just duel your way out of it," she giggled.

"I tried to, but he didn't have a deck," he chuckled. "Isn't that weird? Well yeah, so I had to shatter my beer bottle on his head."

"All because he stiffed you?"

"Well yeah! I had 100 Euros in that pot! That's how I made my money, yah know? Cause I couldn't work without a work visa. So gambling was all I had." He took another bite of his hash browns. "Emmanuel was the best pool player around, and I was pretty good myself. We'd win a lot. But this jackass was stoned out of his mind, because it's Amsterdam, and everyone's just casually stoned over there. He musta been really high, because he thought he could get away without paying us what we won. Emmanuel coaxed me into chasing him, so we did. We got outside and cornered the bastard. But this guy was armed, and he was doing these weird little sprints at us trying to jab us with his knife. So Emmaunel yelled at me to use my beer bottle, yah know, to stun him. So I did. And it worked. And so we took our money and ran for our lives."

Asuka shook her head in light hearted disappointment. "Oh Judai, you turned into a hoodlum."

"Sometimes you have to be," he shrugged playfully.

"What happened to this Emmanuel you keep talking about?"

"Well, he lived in Amsterdam, so once I went to Germany, we had to split ways."

"Geez Judai," Asuka mumbled. "You must have left a lot of great people that you met."

"Yeah," Judai sighed. "But it was okay. I was never lonely. I'd leave a lot of people, but I'd meet more. I learned so much from them. They kept me going," he gestured with his fork.

"I believe it."

"What about you, Asuka?" He questioned out of the blue.

"Me?"

"Yeah, what have you been up to these past six months?"

"Oh, well," she shied her head away for a moment, "I've been studying to get into a University. I've been dueling a lot in local competitions and working a lot as well. Other than that, nothing much."

"That's good," Judai assured, finishing his last bites of his meal. "Glad to hear it."

The two both smiled at each other before finishing their food. The waitress came over to drop the bill on the table. Judai pulled out his wallet in response.

"Not today," Asuka stopped him.

"What?"

"This is on me," she informed.

"Asuka, I can't let you do that," he denied while blushing.

"Of course you can. I have a steady job. This is nothing. Let this be my welcome home gift, okay?"

Judai gazed into her eyes. It was a powerful gaze; the type that made Asuka's cheeks flush red. She shook herself out of it and tossed money on the table.

"It's on me," she repeated.

"Okay," Judai smiled lovingly. "Thank you, Asuka."

"Don't mention it," she brushed it off, attempting to hide her feelings.

The waitress came to collect the money, and the two got up on their feet.

"Thank you for breakfast," Judai repeated. "Thanks for coming out to see me. I really appreciate it. I had a great time."

Asuka's heart began fluttering at his sincerity. She didn't want this moment to end. "Judai, why don't you come over to my place? You can clean up and relax a little. I'm sure you're in no rush to return to your house, right?"

He didn't respond right away. He kept his gaze towards the ground, kicking a few pebbles that he came across. "I can't intrude any longer than I have."

"No, Judai…please? I really want you to. I like spending time with you. I'm not asking just for your own good, but for mine as well."

It was a rather daring thing for her to admit, but she didn't want Judai to feel like he was a charity case. She really wanted to spend more time with him, and he had a right to know it.

"Are you sure?"

"Or course!"

He took in a deep breath, "Okay," he smiled.

"Mom, I'm home," Asuka greeted while swinging the door open.

"Sweetheart!" She responded from another room, skipping towards the living room to greet her daughter. "How was seeing your…." She entered the room to see Asuka standing beside a handsome, young man, "friend?"

"Hello Ms. Tenjoin," he bowed in respect. "I'm Yuki Judai."

She looked at her mom with pleading eyes. "Mom, Judai needs a place to tidy up and rest for a little while, is that okay?"

"Um…well, uh, okay," she stumbled on her words. "Yes." She turned to look at Judai with concerned eyes. "Asuka, why don't you get him a clean towel? I'll get the guest room bed ready."

"Thanks, mom."

"Thank you, Ms. Tenjoin."

Asuka lead Judai to drop his stuff off in the guest room. She got him a clean towel and told him how to use the shower.

"If you need anything, just call me."

"Okay."

Asuka closed the door as she left and went to the next room to see her mom.

"Honey, you brought him home," her mom sighed.

"I know that, he needs a place for a little while."

"Where's his family?"

"They're gone, mom. He returned to an empty house. I felt awful. He has no one at the moment."

Ms. Tenjoin grabbed clean sheets and began spreading them out on the bed.

"Well, that's a shame," she expressed. "But that's not our problem, honey. I can have him here for the night, but your father returns from his business trip tomorrow. He'd have a heart attack if he came home to find that boy here."

"Mom, let me talk to dad, okay?" Asuka cooed with the slightest trace of worry. "Let's just not worry about any of that right now. This means a lot to me."

"Why?" She questioned. "What has that boy ever done for you?"

"More than you can ever imagine, mom," Asuka revealed. "He means a lot to me."

"Well, do you mean a lot to him?"

"It doesn't matter," she brushed it off. "I just need to be here for him."

"Asuka, you can't just be doing favors for people that don't help you in return."

"Mom!"

She was right.

Judai knew she was right.

He turned the water on, but was hesitant to enter the shower since he had heard Ms. Tenjoin talking with Asuka. Judai knew he deserved none of this, but he wasn't sure what else to do.

A part of him wanted to turn off the shower and just leave, but somehow he knew that would hurt Asuka. So he took what he was given. _I'll just leave when I'm done._

Judai finished up his shower, shaved off his face with the razor from his bag, and wiped his face with warm water. He patted himself dry and put on his clothes that he had worn previously. He exited the bathroom and entered the guest room. Asuka was waiting inside.

"Judai, here," she got off the bed and offered him clothes that were in her hands. "These are Fubiki's. Why don't you put them on while I do your laundry?"

"Asuka…no. I shouldn't impose like this."

"Judai? What are you talking about?"

Judai turned his head away in shyness, "I don't deserve to be here. I've done nothing to deserve any of this."

"Oh cut that out; you sound like my mom….oh….ooohhh, did you—hear her?"

He nodded his head slowly.

"Judai," she put a hand on his shoulder. "Forget that. I want you here. Now change," she threw his clothes on the bed and walked past him. "My mom made this bed for you, so despite what she says, she wants you here. We can talk about this later. Get some rest."

Judai nodded solemnly. "Okay."

Asuka huffed, nodding as well, and walked past him. She closed the door behind her.

"How is he?" Ms. Tenjoin asked as Asuka entered the living room.

"He heard everything you said," Asuka whispered, not wanting another conversation to be heard. "He feels awful. Hope you're happy."

"Oh Asuka…"

"Don't "Oh Asuka" me," she muttered, plopping on the couch and pulling out her phone to look at for the first time in a while. She noticed she had three missed calls and 13 texts. "Oh God," she huffed. She looked up at her mom. "Did Edo come?"

"No one came to the door," she revealed, flipping a page of her book. "But check your messages, I'm sure he tried to reach out to you."

"Yeah, I can see that," she confirmed while flipping through her texts.

 ** _Asuka, I'm coming in half an hour._**

 ** _Asuka? You awake?_**

 ** _Asuka, please answer!_**

 ** _I'm not going to come pick you up if you don't answer me._**

 ** _Oh great, you're probably not even awake._**

 ** _Asuka, call me._**

 ** _Have you been getting my calls?_**

 ** _I always thought you were a morning person._**

 ** _Geez Asuka! This is not like you!_**

 ** _If you don't like me, just tell me straight up._**

 ** _I hope you're okay._**

 ** _Well, I'm just going to assume you over slept._**

 ** _Call me when you wake up._**

Asuka bit her tongue in guilt. Edo was a nice guy…he deserved an explanation. She quickly dialed his number and waited for him to respond.

"Asuka," he answered. "Are you okay?"

"Edo…I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to leave you hanging like that."

"What happened?"

Asuka took in a deep breath, looking around to see if anyone was watching her. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to tell him the truth or cover it with a white lie.

She had always been a rather honest person; Judai didn't ask to keep his return a secret. She figured why not.

"Judai's back," she whispered.

"….."

Asuka nervously tapped her fingers against the armrest.

"Judai?" He repeated.

"Yeah."

"And?"

"Well, he called me asking if he could see me. I needed to make sure he was okay."

"Oh, I see."

"Thanks Edo, I feel awful about—"

"You still have feelings for him," he assumed.

"Wait, no, that's not what I—"

"You dropped our date in an instant without having the means to even shoot me a text and ran off to see Judai. People don't just do that for anyone."

"He's an old friend-he needed me!" her whisper grew louder.

"Oh, he needed you? Did he need you when he ran off without saying goodbye?"

"Edo!" She snapped.

"He only called you because he has nowhere to go and no one to run to. Don't you think for a moment that he's satisfied with being back in Domino."

Asuka gaped at his words. "Edo, I can't believe you would say-"

"Oh forget it. You'll understand that soon enough. Bye Asuka."

"Edo, wait!"

*Beep*

Asuka sat in awe for a moment, taking the time to understand what just happened.

"Over before it started, right hon?" Ms. Tenjoin subtly mentioned, keeping her eyes on her book.

"Thanks, mom," Asuka coldly sighed.

Judai passed out for five hours that afternoon. He didn't sleep well the night before. The cold hardwood floor wasn't the most comfortable surface. He had gotten used to sleeping in weird places, considering he was on the move for the past six months. However, a freezing house with a hard floor and tears to stain his clothes had definitely been the hardest resting spot. Well, besides for the bridge he had to sleep under in Paris when he had ran out of money to pay for another night at a hostel.

The teen rose from his bed, stretched, and made his way to the living room. Ms. Tenjoin was the only one there.

"Judai, why don't you sit down?" She invited with hollow eyes as her glasses were lowered on her nose.

He nodded and sat down on the comfy chair that was next to the couch she laid on.

"Judai," she took off her reading glasses and put her book down. "Why are you here?"

"That's a vague question," he answered honestly. "Do you mean why I am at your house? Why am I in Domino?"

"Why are you back in my daughter's life?"

Judai winced at the words, straightening his posture in fear of further judgment. He didn't respond.

"She told me that you ran off to Europe after skipping out on your graduation without saying goodbye."

"She…told you _that_?"

"My daughter is a very honest girl," Ms. Tenjoin revealed, "And if you hurt her, I'm the one who's going to have to console her."

"Ms. Tenjoin, I would never intend to hurt your da—"

"Intend to? But you have. You already have and you most likely will again." She stared into Judai's eyes. "Do you know she missed a date this morning to go pick you up?"

"She…did?"

"In an instant," she snapped her fingers.

"She told me she wasn't busy."

"Well, she was. She's already clearing her schedule for you. But would you do the same?"

Judai lowered his head in guilt, feeling an awful feeling overcome him. He didn't know the answer.

Instinctively, he stood up on his feet and looked at Ms. Tenjoin, though his eyes seemed to be wandering slightly. "Thank you for your time today, Ms. Tenjoin," he exhaled in shame. He bowed as a goodbye. "Give Asuka my regards."

Ms. Tenjoin's eyes widened in surprise. "You're going to leave?"

Judai nodded, gazing to the window and looking outside. He turned and went back to the guest room to grab the bag that he had brought for the day. He noticed that his clothes were on the hamper outside of the room. He changed back into what was his and folded Fubiki's clothes, laying them on the bed.

He sighed, and made way to walk out the door.

Once outside, he dialed up the number for a taxi and waited on the sidewalk.

"Judai!"

Judai turned to see Asuka running outside.

"I'm so sorry, I was in my room, I had no idea you woke up," she rambled rather quickly.

"It's okay, Asuka," he forced a smile.

"My mother told me you were leaving…why? You can stay the night, you know."

Judai grabbed her hand, massaging the back of it with his thumb. He released it slowly. "Thank you for everything, Asuka. But, it's not a good idea for me to extend my stay. I don't want to hurt you."

"What are you talking about, Judai?" She spat, frustration overtaking her tone. "You're home now, you can't hurt me anymore."

Judai lowered his head for a slight moment, before forcing himself to look her in the eye to continue speaking. "Asuka, my return to Domino isn't permanent."

Asuka's eyes began watering slightly. A mix of emotion and wind smacking at her face.

"What do you mean?"

"My family is gone. My house is empty. I have no money. I can't stay here. I need to find a place to live."

"Well, you can stay here!" Asuka chimed. "Stay with me. I can convince my parents to let you stay for a little while. Then I can help you find a job and an apartment and—"

"Even if it were that easy, I don't think I could do it," Judai admitted, gazing into her eyes. "This city isn't mine anymore. Familiar faces and worn out places…it's not for me anymore. I'm sorry, Asuka. But I can't do it."

Asuka began boiling with anger, her hand began shaking and she couldn't control her emotions. Instinctively, she smacked Judai across the face. Judai simply took the embrace, his face retaliating at her cold touch. Asuka stepped back and covered her mouth in shock at what she had done.

"Oh my God," she gaped at her actions, noticing his face turn red.

"I probably deserved that," he mumbled, cowering away.

"No, Judai—please don't do this. You can't just…" she began to work herself up, eyes watering and body shivering, "Call me up on the phone and come back into my life just to leave me again! I won't allow it."

The taxi arrived, pulling into Asuka's drive way subtly.

Judai gestured his arms in a way as if to express that he had no other options. "I'm sorry. I'll call you when I can."

Asuka merely watched in utter betrayal as Judai slid into the car. The taxi pulled away; Judai waved as it did.

Asuka stood there for a moment, not knowing how to react. After a second of hesitation, she marched back in the house and stomped her foot upon arriving in the living room.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"Don't "honey" me!" She spat, narrowing her eyebrows with hands on her hips.

Her mom took off her glasses and laid down her book. "Asuka?"

"What did you say to him?!"

"Nothing…"

"What. Did. You. Say. To. Him?!" She repeated slowly, bitterly.

Ms. Tenjoin huffed, "the truth."

"And what is that?"

"That he shouldn't be here," she explained. "That he shouldn't be here unless he intends to invest in a new life."

"Mother!" Asuka growled. "I swear, if you ruined this for me, I'll never forgive you!" Asuka groaned, turning away and running into her room.

"Asuka!" Her mom called, but Asuka slammed the door in response. Tears flooded from her eyes as she threw herself on her bed. She cried for a while, not knowing what else to do.

Judai was so precious to her. She was angry. She was angry that he came back into her life for one day, just to excuse himself. She was hurt, because she didn't understand what she had done to make Judai feel like he needed to leave. She didn't understand why she wasn't enough.

She pulled out her phone and searched through her contact list until she found the name that could change things around.

 ** _67 Oak Rd._** She typed out, sending it to that name.

 ** _Judai's home. Go get him. Make him stay._**

Maybe Judai wouldn't listen to her, but damnit, he would listen to someone. And hopefully, she picked the right guy.


	4. Sunset with a Snowflake and a Spider

When Judai got home, he unpacked a few more blankets from his bag and set them in the corner of his room. He pulled out his laptop and lowered himself to the ground. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that his money was running out, and he needed to find a place to gamble. Be it a bar with a pool table, dueling competition, or casino; he needed something.

"Lucky's Bar," Judai tasted the name on his tongue. "It'll do."

He saved the destination and began looking for places where he could clean in exchange to crash. Although he was pretty comfortable with most living situations, he realized he couldn't stay put in an empty house…wasting away.

"Ren's diner, okay," he pinned it.

Judai stayed like that for an hour, looking for places that would take him in exchange for some type of work. He decided he would stay in Domino for at least a month to save up money before leaving again. That's how he made ends meet in Europe, so that's what he would do here too.

At around 7pm, a honking noise erupted from outside Judai's house. The brunette raised an eyebrow in confusion, descending the stairs and looking out the window. A tiny beetle Volkswagen was in his driveway, but he couldn't make out who was in the driver's seat. He made his way out the door.

Suddenly, the car engine turned off and the car door opened. Judai nearly palmed his forehead once he realized who it was.

"I should have known it was you," Judai smiled.

"Who else knows how to bother you like your younger brother?" Sho smirked. "Damn it, Judai!" He ran up to him and embraced him in a huge hug. Judai returned the hug lovingly, wrapping his arms around his waist. "I have so much to scold you about," Sho whined.

"I'm sure you do," Judai closed his eyes, enjoying his friend's presence.

"But I'll do that later," he assured, standing back to look at him. "Right now I just want to spend time with you."

Judai scratched the back of his neck. "I'd invite you inside, but it's empty."

"Empty? How empty?"

" _Really_ empty."

"Oh…well, that's no good! We have to find you a place to live!"

"Don't worry about it, I already have it figured out."

"You do?"

"Yeah, tomorrow morning I start washing dishes at Ren's diner. It's a two week ordeal. If I work, they let me stay in their loft upstairs."

"Oh…well, what about food and money?"

"Benefits include two free meals. Money is something I'm actually supposed to get tonight."

"Really? How?"

Judai began searching Sho with his eyes, particularly his arms.

"Judai?" Sho questioned nervously.

"Sho…how good are you at pool?"

It was 10:30 at night when he got the call.

Manjoume had just gotten out of the shower, ready to call it a night after a long shift at work. Tomorrow was reserved to putting together a slightly new deck for a dueling competition that he would take part in on Saturday. He needed as much rest as he could get to ensure quality performance.

But the phone call had caught him off guard.

"Marufuji Sho?" Manjoume questioned in surprise. He took the call.

"Sho?" Manjoume answered.

"Manjoume!"

"So you don't have the wrong number?"

"Head over to Lucky's bar, right now!"

"Why? What the hell is going on?"

"You're good at games, aren't yah?"

"Of course, but-"

"See yah!" He hung up.

Manjoume wasn't sure what just happened, but he decided to take the challenge.

"Sho, who did you call?" Judai questioned while chugging a bottle of beer.

"You'll see."

"Well, I hope they're good…because based off that game we just had, playing with you wouldn't be that good for my wallet. Sorry man."

"Not offended, Judai," Sho chuckled. "I know my lack of hand eye coordination."

Judai laughed.

"Hey, Judai? Maybe you shouldn't be drinking. You're on a budget, and Lord knows if you'll even win."

"Well, I'm a lot better at pool when I'm buzzed," Judai admitted, finishing his fourth beer. "Besides, if this guy is the slightest bit talented as Emmanuel, I'll be fine."

Sho nodded shakily, watching Judai as he ordered another beer. "Whatever you say, big bro."

About half an hour later, Judai had really loosened up. Sho had one mojito the whole night and refused to drink anymore. Judai was chatting with some people at the bar about his trip to Europe and some of his adventures. Sho listened shyly in the background, feeling unmistakably distanced from the conversation.

"So now I'm running through the back alleys of Stockholm in nothing but my boxers with one sock, clenching my sneakers in my left hand and my money in my right, sprinting away from that hell hole with my bud Zachariah. He was doing better than I was though, at least he had both his socks on."

The guys at the bar began erupting in laughter. Sho faked a chuckle himself, just to feel included.

"Dude! That's fucking intense!" One guy snickered, smacking his glass against the table.

"So you must have won that round?"

"Well, my bud did, but I didn't. Since Zach won, and we were teammates, I technically won too, but the guys we were playing against didn't agree. So we had to make a run for it!"

"Ah man, that's priceless!" Another guy laughed. "Strip poker in Stockholm, sounds like a good time!"

"It is, until you're out on the streets nearly naked clinging all you have to your name," Judai laughed.

Sho winced, cowering back in worry. Based off the way Judai was talking, he could tell something was wrong, but he knew he'd never admit it.

"That sounds like the best part!" The guy snickered.

A vibration went off in Sho's pocket, signaling him to take out his phone and check out his messages.

 ** _I'm here._**

 ****"Judai!" Sho elbowed his friend. "Your pool partner is here."

"Great!" Judai cheered. "Show him to me!"

Sho quickly left and ran towards the door to meet Manjoume outside.

Eventually he could see his outlines from afar, stepping out of a black corvette. He was dressed in dark colors, so dark that he looked like a shadow until he had finally reached the lights that illuminated from the bar.

"Manjoume," Sho greeted, "It's nice to see you."

"Yeah," Manjoume raced his fingers through his luscious hair. "So, why am I here?"

"There's someone inside who needs your help."

Sho left it at that, turning away and heading back into the bar. Manjoume's eyes widened at the gesture, quickly following him into the crowded building.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Manjoume reckoned, "You called me after not seeing or hearing from me in six months, because some drunk in a bar needs my help?"

"Not just any drunk," Sho hollered, competing with the noise in the bar. "This drunk," Sho finally stopped, elbowing Judai in the side.

Manjoume could feel his jaw drop at the sight of Judai's brown, spiky hair. He quickly had to bring it back to its normal position before Judai could turn around.

And when he did, he had to suppress a shiver.

"Manjoume!" Judai shouted in surprise. He quickly pulled Manjoume for a hug, squeezing him to a pulp.

"Damn it, Judai!" Manjoume yelped, startled by the gesture. "What the fuck are you doing in Domino?"

" _You're_ my partner? This is awesome!" Judai grinned happily. "Let's get another beer to celebrate!"

"Judai, that is enough beer for you!" Sho intervened.

"You're right, Sho," Judai lowered his hand to pat Sho's head. "I need something stronger. How 'bout a rum and coke? Double the shot!"

"Judai! You can't afford that!" Sho yanked at his shirt.

"This one is on the house," the bartender stepped in, "for my best customer."

"Look at that Sho!" Judai gleefully hummed. "I get a free drink!" He pulled Sho into a loving embrace.

Manjoume stared at Judai in utter shock. He looked so different. He definitely had grown since their last encounter, but even just seeing him as a drunkard was enough to throw Manjoume off for the night.

Manjoume pulled Sho to the side. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Judai needs a pool partner."

"Why?!"

"Because he's utterly broke. He has 100 euros on him from being in Europe, and he's trying to double or nothing."

"Are you fucking serious?!"

"Yes! He told me his whole plan before getting drunk. He starts off with one round, than challenges another pair for a second. He plays at least five rounds a night until he wins about 3k!"

"What in the fuck? Who's going to throw down that much money for a fucking pool game?!"

"Drunk people!" Sho screeched, getting frustrated at the thought. "He purposely comes in here and gets everyone drunk so he can win all their money!"

"Fuck!" Manjoume turned, biting his tongue in realization. "I don't have any money to bet, Sho! Besides, when you said games, I kinda thought you meant dueling!"

"He doesn't want your money," Sho explained. "He just wants a good partner. If you win all the rounds, he said he'd throw you a couple hundred bucks as thanks, but you're not responsible for a single cent if you lose."

"Well that doesn't help!" Manjoume spat. "What if I'm the one who makes him lose?"

"Manjoumeeee!" Judai called, stumbling over to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Did I tell you that you look amazing? You're just as hot as I remember yah!"

"Oh fuck me," Manjoume whined, realizing how bad the situation was.

"Ah man, I wish I could," Judai stumbled for balance, grabbing onto Manjoume's shoulder, "But we got business to take care of." Judai raised his glass as an omen. "Who wants to be our first competitors?"

A bunch of the drunkards rose up their cups to offer. Judai staggered over to one of them, giving him a friendly slap on the shoulder, as if picking his prey.

"Let the games begin!"

"Sho, get his other shoulder," Manjoume ordered.

"But he keeps dropping his stuff!"

"We can get that later, right now I need help carrying him."

Manjoume had anchored his arm under Judai's shoulder as a way to prop him up and lead him inside. Sho quickly respected the order and picked up the slack by propping his arm under Judai's right shoulder.

"I can't fucking believe this," Manjoume spat, fumbling with his keys to open the door to his apartment.

Judai's eye lids were half closed, his whole body being pulled down by gravity with no will or strength to go against it. His head was faced towards the ground as his friends lead him inside.

"Oh—my-God."

"What is it, Judai?" Sho asked.

Judai remained silent for a moment, keeping his head low. "This is a _beautiful_ carpet!"

"Thanks," Manjoume muttered, throwing Judai on the couch.

"Wait a second," Judai realized, using his index finger and thumb to pet his chin. "This isn't my house."

"No shit Sherlock, what made you crack the case?" Manjoume sassed.

"Manjoume-," Sho tried to stop him.

"Well, my house doesn't have a couch," Judai responded, laying down on his side. "Or a tv. Or a table. Or anything, really."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Manjoume, Judai's house is empty," Sho whispered.

"What?" He matched his tone.

"You guys don't needa be quiet 'bout it or anything like that," Judai slurred. "I'm right here, I know the situaaaation," he drew out the word.

"When he came home yesterday, he came home to an empty house. His parents moved. He doesn't know where they are. He doesn't have much."

"Oh," Manjoume sighed. "I get it."

Manjoume disappeared for a moment, grabbing a few blankets to throw next to Judai incase he got cold. "Do you want some water, Sho?"

"No, I better get going," he assured. "Thanks for taking him in. I would have if I didn't live with my parents. I wouldn't have known how to explain this."

"Not a problem, see yah around."

"Thanks," Sho forced a smile. He looked down at Judai, debating if he wanted to say goodbye, but Judai was clearly gone. With that, Sho left the apartment.

"Judai, you need to drink some water before you pass out on me," Manjoume instructed, heading to the kitchen to pour a glass.

"Nah, I think I'm okay," Judai declined.

"Yeah, sure," he nodded his head distastefully. Once the cup was full, he returned to Judai and offered it to him. "Take it."

"No."

"Fuck, Judai. Take the glass."

"I don't want it," he whined.

"Do I need to fucking put this at your mouth and feed it to you?"

Judai grunted like a child, turning away.

"Fine, but you're gunna have a hell of a hangover tomorrow and it won't be my fault," Manjoume rolled his eyes, placing the water on the coffee table.

"Mhmm," Judai hummed.

Manjoume looked down at him, studying his appearance. His hair was frizzed out and his face looked pale. He had a huge stain of beer on his shirt that some drunk guy had thrown at him earlier in the night. Manjoume could smell it from far away. His skinny jeans were tightly wrapped around his legs. He could see the red line on his skin where his belt was cutting off his circulation.

A part of Manjoume wanted to just leave Judai on the couch and only check back on him in the morning, but he knew that would be a dick move.

"Fuck it," he swore. "I'm taking care of you, and you're gunna deal with it."

Judai mumbled in response. Manjoume sat the brunette up, stripping off his smelly shirt and tossing it on the floor. He gaped at the sight of Judai's muscular, tan body. Once he realized he was staring for too long, he quickly got up and went to his room to look for some night wear. He found a large shirt from one of the duel competitions he attended. They ran out of medium sizes for the contestants, so Manjoume had to deal with an extra-large. He grabbed some spare sweatpants and went back towards the couch.

Judai was leaning in the same position Manjoume had left him in. He raised Judai's arms and slid the shirt onto his chest. He then took a huge gulp of air, and embarrassingly unbuckled Judai's belt, followed by stripping off his jeans. His cheeks flushed red at the sight of Judai's winged kuriboh boxers.

"Hey Manjoume."

Manjoume straightened up in an instant, biting his tongue in embarrassment. _Fuck._

"I'll have that water now," he randomly mentioned.

Manjoume gulped. "Okay." He finished putting his sweatpants on Judai, quickly getting off him and grabbing the water to offer him.

"Aren't you gunna feed it to me?"

Manjoume rolled his eyes in amusement, bringing the cup to his lips. Judai took a large sip.

"Thanks."

Manjoume nodded, putting the glass back on the table.

"Anything else you need?"

"Thank you….for everything," Judai yawned.

Manjoume smiled, making way to his room.

"Especially for being the best partner since Emmanuel," Judai randomly threw out.

"Yeah, no problem."

Manjoume lazily changed his attire, heading to his bathroom to brush his teeth and run a comb through his hair. Not long after, he crawled into his bed and turned out the lights.

Memories of the night played back in his head like a movie. It was an unreal night, but it had turned out to be quite the adventure.

Different, strange, and unexpected, and yet, it was the most fun Manjoume had in a long, long time.


	5. Sunrise with a Spider

When Manjoume woke up, he expected to be in his apartment all alone.

But the scent of eggs and coffee had refreshed his memory of what happened the night before.

He quickly got up, went to the bathroom and tossed a comb through his hair. He exited his room with a rather large yawn, finding Judai in the kitchen flipping some eggs.

"Morning," Judai greeted. "Hope you don't mind, I'm a breakfast kinda guy."

Manjoume rolled his eyes in amusement. "And a lunch kind a guy….and a dinner kind a guy, with a passion for snacking whenever you can."

"You know me so well," Judai smiled. "I cooked up all the eggs, but if it's a problem, I can go buy you some more."

Manjoume waved in dismissal, "I don't eat breakfast often. In fact, I'm glad you're getting rid of the eggs for me. At least they're going to good use."

"That's one way to look at it," Judai nodded, flipping the eggs onto a plate that he had by him. "Thanks for helping me last night. I never mean to get _that_ drunk when I go out gambling, but it always happens."

He shrugged in response. "Don't mention it."

"Well, I oughtta," Judai countered the statement, turning off the stove and pouring a cup of coffee. "You helped me win 362800 yen last night. I want you to have a few thousand."

"No, it's fine."

"Come on, Manjoume. It's my pleasure, really."

"Judai, you need it more than I do. I have a full time job and make lots of cash from duel competitions. My brothers pay me to advertise their business. I'm set for a while. Keep it all, okay?"

Judai looked up at him with an unsure gaze.

"Besides, I actually kinda had fun last night."

Judai's eyes widened. "Really?" He took his food to the couch and sat it on the coffee table. "Made you some breakfast, by the way."

Manjoume peeked his head at the one egg that Judai left for him, and a cup of coffee that rested in the pot. "Thanks…" He took the food to the coffee table as well. "You know, I never thought that a drunkard could have that good of skill in pool."

"My hands are a lot more quaky when I'm sober, not sure why. Emmanuel noticed that right off the bat. He said I'd fix up a lot nicer after a few drinks."

"Emmanuel," Manjoume tasted the name on his mouth. "Who is this Emmanuel you keep talking about?"

"Hm?" Judai hummed while stuffing an egg in his mouth.

"Well, you couldn't quit yapping about him last night," Manjoume gestured with his fork. "Who is he?"

"My good friend from Amsterdam. We met at a bar. He noticed I was trying to make some money from playing pool, but he called me out on how bad I was. He told me that he was the same way. Always shaky when sober, and still when drunk. It defies logic, but he said that's why people like us were special."

"Sounds like he was trying to hit on you," Manjoume rolled his eyes.

Judai shrugged. "It worked."

Immediately Manjoume regretted his words and shoved the lone egg into his mouth, chomping at the bit.

Judai laughed in response. "I'm just messing with ya—"

"So you've been in Amsterdam for the past six months?"

"And Germany, France, Sweden, Spain, and Italy."

"Shit," Manjoume followed with a sip of coffee. "That's insane. What made you come back?"

"Expired visa is the big one," Judai revealed. "Money was always attainable, but getting kicked out was my biggest problem. At the time, I figured coming home could be good for me." He hesitated for a moment. "But then I got home, and I was proved wrong pretty fast."

"If your folks were still home, yah think it woulda been better?"

"Probably not," Judai admitted. "I'd like to think so, but at the end of the day, it probably wouldn't have changed anything."

Manjoume looked down into his black coffee. "Judai, how does it feel to always be on the move?"

'Um, weird," he replied honestly. "It's weird because, you can have a lot of fun, but you can go through a lot of shit too. Nearly every morning I wake up and I don't know where I am. I'll picture myself in one of the many places I stayed, but never the right one for the moment being. And the weirdest part is, whenever you find a place that is willing to have you for long term, something inside just makes you want to leave again. I can't put my thumb on why."

Silence rang through the house.

"It's like, there's so much to see in this world…staying put just means growing comfortable. And being comfortable means you fall into routine, and that gets boring. I mean, come on, Manjoume. Don't you ever just get home from a long day and wonder what life is all about?"

Manjoume turned to match Judai's gaze, looking deep into his eyes.

"Is it really about living the same day over and over again? Working 40 hours a week just to keep up the same routine?" Judai broke the stare and looked away. "That's what I liked about being on the move. When I worked, I worked for a new experience. I worked because if I didn't, I'd be on the streets that night. Or I'd have nothing to eat. I had to make every day count. But at the end of the day, if I wanted to leave, it was easy."

"So you picked up little tricks like last night just to make ends meet?"

"Yeah, pretty much. How'd it go by the way? I remember making money, but that's about it."

Manjoume laughed at the thought of it. "Well, you kept flirting with me."

"Oh," Judai chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Manjoume waved it off. "In fact, it made me more confident, so it worked out."

"Oh good!"

"You tried to make me take a shot every time we won a round."

"I did?"

"Yeah. I took one shot of tequila with you, but every time after that, I told the bartender to put water in my shot glass and call it vodka."

Judai rustled his hand through his hair in embarrassment with a flushed smile, "Gee, sorry about that."

"It's fine," Manjoume smiled. "One of the guys who challenged us was an angry drunk. He lost a couple hundred thousand yen and threw a beer at yah."

"Phew, sucks to be him."

"Yeah, he's probably really regretting those drinks today."

"Yeah. Good thing I never go to the same bar twice. Hopefully we'll never run into each other again."

"The sucker probably wouldn't recognize you sober anyways."

The two laughed at the ordeal. They took a few minutes to finish their drinks in silence.

"So, where do you go from here?" Manjoume broke the silence.

"Well," Judai yawned while stretching. "At 11 I need to head over to Ren's diner to start washing some dishes. If I do that, they'll let me crash in their loft."

"Oh. You're not going home?"

"Home? What home?" The words felt familiar on his lips. "I have no home."

Manjoume raised his eyebrows. "Judai…if you want, you can crash here. You don't need to work at some rusty diner."

"No. I appreciate the offer, but I like to work to make my living," Judai declined straight up. "I appreciate your help last night, but I won't be extending my stay."

The teen threw up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Let me at least give you a ride to this diner."

Judai raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

"Course I am. Is it a deal?"

After a moment of hesitation, the brunette extended his hand to shake on it. Manjoume accepted with a soft smile. "So, seen anyone else besides me and Sho?"

"I saw Asuka."

Manjoume nearly gasped at the words. "You did?"

"Yeah, but it didn't go so well," he lowered his head. "I think I really hurt her feelings."

"Why? What did you do?"

"I didn't realize that just reappearing in her life for a day was going to make her emotionally attached. I told her I had to leave because I didn't want to hurt her. I don't think I can stay in Domino, Jun, and telling her that made her upset."

"Well of course it did! She really cares about you….and you kinda just fucked everyone over by leaving, yah know? Not your smartest move."

"I honestly didn't think many people would care," Judai revealed. "At the time, I couldn't think of anything to say to anyone. So I figured leaving would be the easiest option."

"Maybe for you it was, but a lot of people wanted to say bye to you…wanted to wish you well and see you smile. We know shit got real that last semester, but running away just makes you selfish."

"So I've been told," Judai sighed. "No one's perfect, Jun. Everyone gets selfish sometimes, wouldn't you say?"

Manjoume bit his tongue upon being asked. The answer was a clear yes, considering he himself was pretty selfish during most years at Duel Academy. He raised his arms to prop behind his head. "I guess."

Judai snorted in response, getting up to bring both of their dishes to the sink.

"I'll get that."

"Nah, it's the least I can do," Judai reckoned while squeezing some soap onto a sponge.

Manjoume sighed in response. "So you're going to leave Domino?"

"Eventually."

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know."

"Do you ever plan on settling down someday?"

"Maybe, guess it depends." He turned on the sink to begin washing.

"What would make you stay?"

Judai looked over his shoulder to smirk at Manjoume. "Not sure. Maybe a special someone. Or a once in a lifetime opportunity that would assure that every day would be a new adventure."

"If you find the right person, they can make every day like that," Manjoume gulped, speaking from the heart.

"You don't say?" Judai giggled. "Well, I guess if I did, maybe I would stay."

Manjoume blushed at his words, staring at Judai until he broke contact and continued washing the dishes. His gaze still lingered, but he shook himself out of it.

"I'm gunna go shower. You can go after me, if you want."

"I'll take you up on that!" Judai called without turning. Manjoume shoved his hands into his pant pockets, turning away to head towards his room.

His mind kept racing with thoughts that he attempted to ban from his consciousness, but they kept finding new ways to reappear.

Manjoume had always thought highly of Judai, even though he was rather an annoying guy for a long time. It wasn't until they had went through all that shit together when Manjoume realized how dependable and wonderful Judai really was. He knew the guy had lost a lot of his old persona when the ordeal was over, but somehow, it made him more desirable. Manjoume personally felt like he wanted to restore Judai to his old self. And now that he was back, he figured that maybe he could reach out to him…touch his heart, give him a reason to stay. Everyone would like that. Everyone.

Especially Manjoume.

Once the two had both showered and prepared for the day, they headed towards the door to leave.

"I'm doing your laundry today. If you want your clothes back, you'll just have to come visit me again."

"Sure," Judai winked playfully. He was wearing one of Manjoume's maroon shirts and black jeans. "I'm digging the red, by the way."

"It's one of the only things I have that's not black," Manjoume explained. "I figured you should make a good impression on these strangers you'll be living with."

"So thoughtful, I love it," Judai chuckled. Manjoume blushed at the random compliment.

The two slid into the car. The ride was relatively quiet. It took about 25 minutes before they rolled up to Ren's diner.

"Thanks again, Manjoume," Judai smiled.

"Yeah, anytime."

 _Do something,_ Manjoume thought. _Tell him you're coming over in a couple days to check on him. Tell him his laundry will be ready tomorrow if he wants to swing by. Tell him about that dinner party with Asuka, Kaiser, and Fubiki next Friday. Tell him-_

"You don't have any regrets, do you?"

"What?!" Manjoume nearly imploded.

"About not taking any of the money I promised you. It's not too late, if you want some."

"No, you're fine."

"Okay, see yah around!" Judai slid out of the car.

Manjoume began tapping his hand aggressively on the door. "Wait, Judai!"

Judai lowered his head to the window, putting both hands on the car. "Yeah?"

 _Just let him go, it'll be easier this way. He's not yours. And nothing will make him stay._

"Be careful," Manjoume ordered.

"I will," he assured, flashing him a smile before walking away.

Manjoume took in a deep breath, watching Judai as he disappeared inside the diner.

"The one that got away," he sighed, igniting his car and putting it in drive. He took one last glance at the diner before driving away.


	6. Sunny with a Chance of Pancakes

"Judai! How are those dishes coming along?"

"Great, Ms. Amari," Judai hollered, attempting to hide his aggravation.

He never liked doing the dishes. In fact, one could say it was his least favorite house hold chore, but for some reason, it was always the one he'd end up doing when it came to bargaining for a place to stay.

"Finish up your load and take a break; someone out there is asking for you."

Judai raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Okay." He scrubbed a few more plates, dodging the little splashes of water that attacked him without warning. He blew back his hair and shuffled his sleeves up a little higher so he could finish a bit faster. Two hours straight of washing dishes takes a toll on a person.

Once he had finished, he washed his hands with warm water and untied the apron from around his waist. He took one of the clean plates he just washed and brought it towards the cook for lunch.

"Hey Judai," the man flashed a smile, flipping eggs with one hand and grabbing a few spices with the other. "Going on break?"

"Yes, Mr. Amari," Judai nodded, watching the cook at work. He had a few stains on his extra-large white shirt, hugging his plump belly rather snuggly. His goatee was one of the most noticeable things about him, along with his wrinkly skin and dull hazel eyes.

"Here you are, then." Mr. Amari cleared his throat, tossing two of the eggs he just cooked onto Judai's plate. "There's some toast in the toaster if you're really hungry."

Judai blinked blankly. Slowly he looked down at his large plate that only had two small eggs resting on it. And of course, the possibility of one or two slices of toast.

"Mr. Amari," Judai sighed, not wanting to confront him on this issue, but knowing it was important. "Call me abnormal or what have you, but I'm a growing young adult…I'm going to need more than two eggs and a couple pieces of toast to hold me over."

Mr. Amari immediately stopped his hand work and looked over at Judai with a questioning glare. His eyes glazed over his body and he ended his investigation with a huff.

"Fine." He turned to his line up crew. "Listen up everyone! Give Judai a portion of what you're making!"

They all nodded, barely distracted by the interruption.

"Go ahead," Mr. Amari gestured.

"Thank you, Mr. Amari."

"Whatever."

Judai grinned widely, skipping his way to the lineup and happily watching as the other chefs tossed home fries, bacon, and pancakes onto his plate. After grabbing a glass of milk, he exited the employees' area and entered the dining room.

Apparently someone was waiting for him out there, but Judai didn't spot anyone he recognized. He peeked his head around to a few tables, but no one seemed to realize he was looking for them.

Eventually Judai laid his plate down at an empty table, shrugging off the ordeal and beginning to stab at his eggs.

As if on cue, a person pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. Judai immediately looked up to register the person before him.

He was in shock.

"Kaiser?'

Marufuji Ryo simply stared back, not gifting Judai with a smirk or any means of welcome. The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Kaiser had a way of doing that.

He always presented himself as a no nonsense kind of guy. Judai preferred remembering him as the respectable duelist at Duel Academy that everyone wanted to be like. But somehow, sitting with him at this moment, all he could remember was Kaiser's coarse stage where he had become some sort of sadist and masochist in a short amount of time.

"Judai," he stated, staring daggers at Judai.

"Um, well, it's nice to see you," the teen lied through his teeth, feeling the regret in every word he mumbled.

Kaiser didn't respond; perhaps he wasn't keen on small talk.

"I didn't see you when I came in—", Judai attempted to mention.

"Of course you didn't, I've been waiting outside. One of the ladies who works here told me you'd go on your break soon. I just came in."

Judai gulped his food, nodding nervously. "Makes sense."

Kaiser put his hands on the table, intertwining his fingers as if he was about to interrogate.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"I need a place to stay," Judai answered simply, staring back at him.

"No. Why are you in Domino?"

"Am I not allowed to return?"

"You didn't answer the question."

"Well, maybe if you asked a relevant question, I'd answer it," Judai muttered, growing more annoyed by the second.

"Judai," Kaiser sighed, rolling his eyes. "I know you think you're doing the right thing, but you're wrong."

"The right thing?" Judai repeated, realizing the words sounded even stupider when he said them. "What are you talking about, Kaiser? Why are _you_ here, anyways?"

Kaiser leaned back in his chair. "Sho told me you came back. He told me where to find you."

"Oh, so you finally treat Sho as your brother now? Do the two of you shoot the breeze and do each other's bidding?"

"Judai—"

"Not sure if you remember this, Kaiser, but Sho called _me_ "big brother" for all of our time at Duel Academy, because you were so persistent on distancing yourself from him."

"Judai-"

"Is that what changed in Domino over the past six months? Your relationship as brothers?" Judai laughed in sarcasm. "What a fucking surprise! Yah know, I was starting to wonder if I had even left at all, but this really proves time passed, doesn't it?"

"Judai!" He smacked the table with his fist, quickly gaining the teen's attention again. "Sho's been acting strange all morning. When I finally got him to tell me what was bothering him, he told me everything. Even things you wouldn't expect him to say."

Judai raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Kaiser rolled his eyes. "I went to pick him up at 10 this morning for our practice."

"Wait, you practice duel monsters with him?"

"He's the one that's practicing, smartass. Now listen."

~ _"Good morni—"_

 _"Come in. I'm not ready yet," Sho muttered without making eye contact, lazily retreating inside._

 _Kaiser raised an eyebrow in confusion, but shrugged it off and followed his brother inside. "Long night?"_

 _"You could say that," Sho mumbled, disappearing into his room to finish changing._

 _"It's not like you to not be ready for our practices."_

 _"I'm aware," Sho hollered dryly. He emerged a few minutes after, fully dressed and with a bag slung over his shoulder. He made his way to the kitchen to prepare his lunch._

 _"Aren't you going to offer me coffee?" Kaiser taunted, a sly smirk on his lips._

 _"I'm a little behind this morning, bro," Sho reminded in annoyance. "If you want coffee, make it yourself."_

 _Kaiser threw his hands up in surrender. "Relax. I'm only teasing. Besides, you normally offer me some."_

 _"Not today."_

 _Kaiser intently stared at Sho, noticing all his actions were off beat and messy. Something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on what. "What did you do last night?"_

 _"Nothing you'd care about."_

 _"On the contrary, I'm rather fascinated. Did you come home late?"_

 _"Is it that obvious?" Sho raised his head to look at his brother, specifically to cater that line with as much sarcasm as possible._

 _Kaiser snorted in response. "Well then, where did you go?"_

 _Sho dropped his knife onto the counter, turning around to fully look at Ryo in aggravation. "Why do you want to know?"_

 _"Why are you giving me attitude?" Kaiser rebutted. "I'm just asking you a question."_

 _"Many questions," he turned back to fixing his sand which._

 _"Well excuse me! I just want to help."_

 _"Oh yeah, help, okay, sure," Sho sarcastically rambled. "The same way you helped me when we both went to Duel Academy and you avoided me like the plague?"_

 _"Sho—"_

 _"Or when you went A-Wall on all of us and turned into some psycho sadist?"_

 _"Sho, please—"_

 _"Just because you came back and try to act like everything's going to be okay, doesn't mean the time you deserted me hurts any less."_

 _Kaiser got up on his feet, walking towards his brother and putting his hand on his shoulder. "Sho, I know what I did was wrong, and I know I can't change the past, but I'm trying to fix things for us. I want to be in your life."_

 _"Yeah, but_ _ **he**_ _doesn't."_

 _"Who?"_

 _Sho growled, pulling away from his brother and wrapping his sand which in plastic wrap. "Judai," he mumbled._

 _"Who?"_

 _"Judai!" he yelled. "Judai!"_

 _"Judai?" Kaiser pondered. "Sho, it's been six months since you've seen—"_

 _"He's back."_

 _"What?"_

 _"That's where I was last night. With Judai. And Manjoume, for that matter."_

 _"Judai? Manjoume? Was there some sort of reunion?"_

 _"No. Judai came back from Europe. He pranced into all of our lives like it's no big deal. He doesn't realize what he's doing."_

 _"Well, what is he doing, exactly?"_

 _"Gambling. Working at cheap diners so he can crash for free." He put up his fingers for quotations—"Living on the edge."_

 _"So, you're not happy that he's back?"_

 _"That's the thing, Ryo. He's not back. Asuka told me that he's not planning on sticking around." He hesitated for a moment. "He got really drunk last night. I kinda had to leave him at Manjoume's because it was so late at night I didn't want to wake up mom or dad, especially since they had work so early this morning. I just texted Manjoume, asking if he was alright…and, well, he said that he was, but he also said I shouldn't get used to worrying, because he'd probably split in no time."_

 _Kaiser's face grew tense; heat pulsed through his body and made him scrunch his fist. "That's not okay."_

 _"Why do you care?"_

 _"Because I've done this before. I know what it's like to run off. It's always a selfish move. You never realize how many people you've hurt until you've come to your senses, and by then, it might be too late."_

 _He was speaking from the heart. From experience. He couldn't allow Judai to mess with people like that. Not if he could do something about it._

 _"Where is he? Which diner?"_

 _"Ren's diner, why?"_

 _"I'm going. Let's practice for a couple hours, and then I'll head over."_

 _"You're not serious."_

 _"Someone has to put him straight. I know that must be difficult for you, but it has to be said. Someone has to tell him the truth."_

 _"You'll really do it? You'll go talk to him?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Well, then, I need you to tell him something for me."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Tell him…tell him I said, well, that he might think that coming back to Domino is right. Even if he only comes for a bit. He might think that meeting with us all again makes up for how he ran away so long ago. But it doesn't. It makes things worse. And if he plans on leaving again…well, tell him, …hmmm, tell him it would have been better off if he had never came to begin with. Whatever he thinks about us…about this city or his plans in general, they're wrong. He's wrong about all of us. He either stays, or he goes, but let him know he's hurting us more than he can imagine with the latter." ~_

"Sho…said that?"

Kaiser nodded. "He doesn't want you to treat him or his friends like pawns in your game of life, Judai. He wants to be seen as a true friend. It's unfortunate you haven't done your part."

Judai lowered his head in thought. "I've done a lot for him…"

"You don't just stop doing things for your friends because you've grown tired."

"Those are some deep words for someone who wasn't around a lot for your younger brother."

Kaiser suppressed a growl. "I already told you how much I regret those decisions. But I'm making up for them now." He stared deep into Judai's eyes. "When will you?"

The two marinated in the tension for a minute longer before Kaiser rose up from his seat. "Commit, or leave. Leave and never come back. Those are your options, Judai. I'd choose fast, if I were you."

Judai watched as Kaiser strutted away, heavily swinging the door open and making his exit. Judai moaned in tiresome, looking down at his food to find it less appetizing than before. He took a few more extra bites before tossing the rest.

It was going to be a long day.


	7. Sunset with Regrets

Judai threw himself on his pathetically stained mattress that the Amari's had offered him. He was too exhausted to cover it with sheets. In his mind, sheets were nothing but a blessing. A blessing he was too tired to deal with.

The room was surprisingly tiny. Smaller than he could have imagined. However, the fact that it had a bed to lay on and a small dresser to throw some belongings on made all the difference.

"I can't do this," Judai mumbled. Not regarding his room, but rather about his return to Domino.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Kaiser was right. Not only was he right, but he was a firsthand source with experience on exactly what Judai was doing. He was simply telling him all of the things that his friends were too scared to say.

His stomach performed consecutive summersaults, causing Judai to toss and turn in pain. He was experiencing some sort of inner battle with himself. No matter how hard he tried to reason things out, he couldn't decide what he wanted to do.

The thing was, he needed friends. Judai wasn't the type of person who could live without friends. However, it didn't matter who his friends were. He could easily befriend people in another city across the world. The problem that hovered over him was his that he had friends right here in Domino; friends that changed his life. It could bring things full circle if he stayed. He could build with these wonderful people and make a life for himself. If he could just suppress his need to travel, he would be okay.

But did he want to do that? Did he want to miss out on all the possibly wonderful things he could experience in new places? Adapting wasn't a problem. Judai had turned into quite the traveler. It'd be easy for him to leave…easier than it would be to stay. He could make wonderful friends and maybe even fall in love. He already knew what Domino has to offer, so why settle for less when there's so much more?

Judai groaned, clutching his stomach to ease the pain. "What the fuck do I do?"

"What does your heart want, Judai?"

Judai quickly sat up, breathing fast all the while. He rolled his eyes at the sight of Yubel. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to leave me alone in Granada."

"Yes, you did," Yubel agreed, crossing her arms. "But you haven't really needed me since then. You're on the edge of making a life changing decision, so I'm here for you."

"It turns out every time you're here for me, I end up doing the opposite of what you say."

Yubel laughed. "Well, I'm not here to tell you what to do. I'm just here to listen. Maybe add in a few words of encouragement here and there."

Judai grunted at her words. "Whatever."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What's your problem, Judai?"

"You are. You, and quite frankly, the whole world."

"Oh, okay. Because everyone's out to get you, is that right? The whole world is trying to make your life a disaster. They're all in on it, except you."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Yubel flailed her arms in disappointment at Judai's response. "Judai, you used to be one of the most selfless people I ever knew."

"You're a trading card, Yubel. Don't pat yourself on the back too hard."

"This is what I'm talking about!" She snarled. "Why are you being so…so cold?"

"Because I don't know what the fuck I'm doing with my life!" Judai yelled, revealing how shaky his chocolate eyes were. One look at his face at this moment of time, and instantly one could see just how exhausted Judai was with his journey. How little determination he had to move on or stay strong.

"I came home because I had to," Judai continued, lowering his tone and taking in deeper breaths to cool himself down. "Because eventually, you need to go back to where you started. That's just the way it is. Yes, money runs low. Yes, visas expire. But those things could be fixed in an instant. The main reason I came home was to reconnect with what I left. That was the motivation, at least."

Yubel stood there, arms crossed and eyebrow arched while listening intently.

"But I told myself that going home doesn't mean I'm stuck there. If I could just save up money and relax for a little while, I could do a huge trip all over again." Judai lowered his head, twiddling his thumbs for comfort. "I never realized people would react the way they would."

"Can you blame them, Judai?"

"I don't know they feel," Judai shoved it off. "I don't have that same attachment to people or places the same way they do. Is that a crime?"

"No, but you still need to be aware of their feelings. Just because you can't empathize, doesn't mean you can't—"

"What? Sympathize? I was never one to sympathize."

"No, not even. Just…understand. Just try and imagine how they feel."

Judai sighed, shifting his position on his mattress and cringing at all of the squeaks it made. "Want to hear a secret?" He asked.

Yubel nodded.

"Part of me thinks they don't really care if I'm here or not."

"What?"

"You heard what Kaiser said. They'd just rather I never came home."

"Yeah, as an alternative of not staying and investing in their lives, Judai. Come on, give me a break."

"I'm not trying to be dramatic. I'm being honest," Judai mumbled. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

"No, go on. Explain."

Judai sat up on his bed, sitting across from Yubel. "All my life, I've had this perception that, well, that maybe, people don't really care about me as much as I thought. Like, if I just disappeared, would people really care? Would they be upset? Try and bring me back?"

"I think the answer is pretty clear," Yubel began, "You already pulled that on everyone here, and they clearly expressed how much you hurt them."

"They say that," Judai agrees, "But are they saying that because it's true? Or because they want to hurt me?"

"You're quite the devil's advocate."

"I'm being serious, Yubel. I really can't decide what's better, to leave—or to stay."

"What do _you_ want?"

"If I knew what I wanted, I wouldn't be going through this crisis now, would I?"

Yubel snorted in response. "Tell me how you feel."

"What?"

"Just, tell me how you feel."

"I don't know," Judai flailed. "Annoyed. Confused. Betrayed. Alone. Tired."

"Did Domino make you feel this way? Or did you feel this way before landing?"

Judai laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling as if an answer would descend from the heavens. "It's just…I feel so free. I have so much freedom and I want to use it. But, at the same time, I want to sleep. I want to feel something for someone. But…I feel numb inside. It's delaying me from making a decision."

"I think you do feel something for your friends here," Yubel suggested. "Because if you didn't, you would have never called Asuka, and quite frankly, you'd probably be gone.

Judai mumbled a "yeah" in response.

"You don't need to make up your mind now," Yubel assured. "Sleep on it for a little while. Forget the Kaiser. Forget everyone. Do what you want. Your heart will do the rest."

Yubel disappeared after that. Judai smiled softly. "Yubel?" He asked, though not being able to see her.

"Yeah?" She answered.

"Thank you."

She didn't respond, but there was a warm feeling in the atmosphere for the first time in a long time. It gave Judai hope that he didn't think could be found.


	8. Sunrise with a Sapphire

_**One Week Later**_

The past week had been particularly tough. Judai felt a little more drained every day. Working to live in a new and exciting city wasn't so much of a chore, but doing it just to stay in Domino had made him extra exhausted.

In fact, everything was rather strenuous. From waking up, working, eating, and going to sleep. He had this unbearable desire to reach out to his friends, but he knew he couldn't do that unless he was willing to commit. Besides, he didn't want to depend on anyone but himself. But it was that quality about him that was hurting him the most.

Every time he attempted to message a friend, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd instantly have flashbacks to his time in Florence, when after a long day of work, he wanted to grab a beer with a friend, but they'd always happen to be busy.

 _"Fine! I don't need you anyways, you little fuckers!" Judai hissed, tossing over his desk chair. It was the fifth day in the row when all of his "friends" were conveniently "busy"._

 _"Judai! What was that noise?" Ms. Vitali hollered from down the stairs._

 _"Fuck fuck FUCK!" Judai groaned, grabbing his bag and stuffing it with clothes._

 _"Judai!" Footsteps ascended the stairs until someone was knocking at his door._

 _Judai didn't answer; he continued shoving his belongings into his luggage. Ms. Vitali soon opened the door. "Judai, what's wrong?" She asked with worry in her eyes._

 _"I'm sorry," he apologized, breathing quickly while moving rather fast. "I can't stay here anymore."_

 _"Why not? What happened dear?"_

 _"If they don't want to see me, they'll never see me again," Judai muttered._

 _"Sweetheart, relax. Maybe your friends are busy," she hummed. Ms. Vitali knew what was going on. For the past week, Judai wasn't getting out like had been doing the week prior. He was staying locked in his room, only coming down for meals._

 _"I don't ask for much," he revealed. "All I say is, "what's up? Wanna hang?" Yah know? And I get these bullshit replies. I feel like I'm wasting away in here."_

 _"Why don't you try going out on your own?"_

 _"I have," Judai dropped his bag, looking at her straight in the eyes. "Guess where I found all my friends?"_

 _She put her hands over her mouth, "Oh dear."_

 _"Yeah, tell me about it." He picked up his bag and shoved a few more things in there. Once he finished, he looked up at her with a sad smile. "Thank you so much, Ms. Vitali. For everything. I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. Will you be okay without me for the week?"_

 _Ms. Vitali began tearing up. She really enjoyed Judai's company and his hard work. She nodded yes. "But, where will you go?"_

 _"I'm heading down to Rome. I'll hop on a night train. Start anew."_

 _She nodded sadly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out 50 Euros._

 _"No, I don't need that," Judai pushed her hand back._

 _"Please, Judai," she assured. "I never paid you for your work. You simply slept in my spare room. That was never any trouble for me. I enjoyed your company. Please, take this. For your train."_

 _Judai smiled sweetly, embracing her in a tight hug. "Thank you, Ms. Vitali."_

 _Her eyes watered slightly. She flashed him another smile before exiting the room._

Judai huffed at the memory, rolling his eyes as the scene played in his head. He reluctantly got changed, strapping an apron on and combing his hair. He rolled up his sleeves and descended the stairs in preparation to wash more dishes.

Before he went into the kitchen, he stopped by the dining room bar to get his daily morning coffee.

"Morning, Judai," Mr. Amari greeted.

"Hi," he responded in tiresome.

Mr. Amari grabbed him a clean mug and poured some coffee into his cup.

"Thanks," Judai muttered.

"You okay?"

Judai shrugged. "Been better, but I'm alive."

"I'll drink to that," Mr. Amari chuckled, turning back to continue his work.

Judai sighed deeply, cowering his body in exhaustion.

"Well, don't you look tired?"

Judai instantly corrected his posture at the sound of those words.

"But it doesn't surprise me that you didn't get enough sleep. I don't think you could ever get enough."

Judai shivered at the words, trying to tell himself it wasn't possible.

"Turn around, look at me," he ordered…words sounding like honey dripping from a kettle.

So he did. Judai slowly turned around to look…to confirm who was there.

"Johan," he softly cooed.

"Hello, Judai. Welcome home."

Judai stared at him for a while. His luscious pink lips curling to smile. His sapphire blue porcupine hair resting on his head like a cloud. His pale skin brought out the bright hue of his emerald eyes. Just like his duel monsters deck, he was a beautiful mixture of gems.

Not knowing what to say in response, he got up from his seat and skipped over to Johan to embrace him in a hug.

Johan chuckled at their joyful embrace. He brushed his hands through Judai's brown hair, holding his waist close with his other arm.

"I'm so happy that you're here," Judai hummed sweetly.

"As am I," Johan agreed with a large grin on his face. He leaned in close to Judai's ear. "What do you say to grabbing your stuff and running away with me?"

Judai pulled back in shock with wide eyes. "Wait, do you mean—"

"Stay with me, okay? You don't need to be here. Go on, grab your stuff. Let's get you out of here."

Judai smirked, loving how charismatic Johan was being. He nodded in agreement. This was the type of freedom he was looking for.

The brunette ran up the stairs, packed up his bags, and returned to the first floor.

"Judai, where you going?" Mr. Amari called, noticing Judai had his stuff with him.

"I'm leaving. Thanks for your hospitality."

"Judai! You're supposed to be here for another week," he groaned.

"Yeah, well, I'm supposed to do a lot of things, sir. But I just can never make up my mind."

Johan giggled, patting Judai on the back while saying "Let's go."

The moment they got settled into Johan's car, Judai turned to look at him. "How did you find me?"

Johan chuckled. "Don't you know that your return to Domino is hot news on the street?"

"No…I didn't."

"Everyone's been talking about you, but they've been too scared to visit."

Judai raised an eyebrow, "why is that?"

"Well, they all think you're going to leave in a few days, so they don't want to put themselves or you through that. In fact, some warned me to not even waste my time."

"What?! They said that? Who?"

"The ruffians," Johan smiled, keeping his eyes on the road. "The Hell Kaisers and Edo Phoenix's of the world."

Judai slumped back in his chair in relief. "Oh, I see." He pondered the thought. "But you came. Why?"

"Oh, I could care less about what they have to say," he shrugged. "I really like you, Judai. You've done a lot for me. I just really wanted to see you."

Judai could feel his heart flutter at the sound. "But, aren't you angry at me for running away?"

"You just don't like goodbyes," Johan covered for him. "You needed some time to yourself after everything you went through. I don't blame you for that. No one should."

In that moment, Judai rekindled every emotion that he ever had for Johan. He instantly remembered why he had loved him, and why their connection was so perfect.

"When I realized I would run away, I was too scared to go to graduation. I didn't know what I would say to you. I didn't want to deal with that confrontation."

Johan nodded in understanding. "I get it," he exhaled. "Of course I wanted to see you, but I knew that wouldn't be our last meeting."

Judai hummed in agreement, letting himself rest comfortably against the seat. "I wish everyone could think the way you do," he mentioned, closing his eyes and enjoying the cool breeze that came through the window.

Johan looked at Judai, smiling when he saw his eyes closed. "Let's get you another coffee."

"Wow! This is amazing!" Judai cheered, running up to the tip of the grass cliff that overlooked the ocean. "I had no idea we had this sorta thing in Domino!"

Johan smiled at the excitement that his friend radiated. "You just gotta find the right spots. Once you do that, you realize that every place is beautiful."

Judai chuckled, turning back to look at Johan and shoot him a grateful smirk. He ran up to the edge of the cliff to sit down and dangle his legs over the side. He took a sip of his coffee and let out a refreshing sigh. "Beautiful."

"Yeah," Johan agreed, sitting next to him. "I'm really happy you're here," he softly mentioned, looking out into the ocean. The sun glimmered on the water as its waves crashed against the rocky shores below them. Wind whispered a calming tune as it danced around their bodies before getting swept back into the ocean breeze. "Are the rumors true?"

Judai shrugged at the words. He sort of wanted to forget that people wanted an answer out of him so quickly, but he figured if anyone deserved his honest feedback, it'd be Johan. "I don't know," he revealed. "I really don't know."

Johan nodded his head in understanding, taking a sip of his coffee and keeping a steady gaze on the ocean. "You'll make the right decision, no matter what that is."

"That's the thing though," Judai turned to look at Johan. "I don't know what that is." He dangled his legs playfully over the side, watching them for entertainment. "Did you know Kaiser came over to see me earlier this week?"

"Yeah, I did. How was that?"

"Weird," he admitted. "He pretty much just told me off. _You can commit, or leave. Leave and never come back_ ," Judai tried to impersonate. "Now I can't shake those words from my mind."

"Forget about him," Johan waved. "Do your own thing."

"Yeah, well, he's got a point," Judai acknowledged, "I mean, even if I left and did come back, no one would want to see me again. So, he's kind of right."

"Well, that'll be for you to decide."

Judai shot Johan a meaningful gaze, noticing that Johan has been avoiding contact for a while now. "What would you prefer?"

"That's not up to me."

"Well, if it were, what would you say?"

"Oh come on, Judai," Johan finally met his gaze, "Of course I want you to stay." He shyly turned back to look at the waves crashing. "But if you don't, I won't be angry at you."

Judai took in a deep breath, nodding slightly. He bathed in the silence for a few moments before speaking again. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, lots of things. I've been studying at a university, taking part in duel competitions, and being a spokesperson for Industrial Illusions."

"Really? That's awesome! Pegasus must really love you!"

Johan blushed slightly, shrugging it off, "I've got his gem deck; I need to show it off for their business. But I don't mind."

Judai gaped in awe, in love with the idea of working for Industrial Illusions and taking part in lots of duel competitions.

"If you stay, I can put in a good word for you," Johan winked.

The brunette snickered in response. "What an honor," he teased.

The two of them laughed, enjoying each other's company. Judai asked about how the competitions went and begged for some stories on working for Industrial Illusions. Johan went in detail on all of the events and made sure to tell Judai about his time in University as well. Johan asked about some of Judai's adventures as well.

"When I was in Hamburg, I met this old guy at a bar, Travis. He had green hair and lots of piercings and tattoos. He was really cool looking. Couldn't have been younger than 50, but he looked pretty good for his age. He was out with this younger girl, who he said he had met in Hamburg as well. Her name was Jackie. He told me the past few years were really tough for him, because he and his wife weren't getting along. So he got a divorce, quit his job, sold the house and everything he had, and bought a one way ticket to Europe. He moves around every six months. I just happened to catch him while he was in Germany, yah know? He was really cool. Jackie was too. She was a DJ and was always mingling with people and hanging out with them to help boost her rep. It was just really cool to see them hanging out and enjoying the vibes of the night. I asked Travis at one point…I asked him what advice he had for a young person like myself, and he said, "If there's somewhere you want to go, just go. Just do it. If life hands you a wonderful opportunity, whether that's for work, or traveling or anything of the sort, take it up. You never know if it'll come again."

Johan listened politely, watching Judai's expression as he told the story.

"I think about it a lot, what he said," Judai bowed his head, staring at his feet and the waves crashing beneath them. "That's why I feel so strongly about traveling. I'll never know if I'll have another chance."

"Judai," Johan hummed lovingly, "I think the moral of that story is to create opportunities for yourself, not wait for them to come by. If you want to travel again, you will. You don't have to wonder "if", you just have to ask yourself "when".

It was a loving reminder. Very easy. It didn't take a genius to come up with a response like that, but it sounded very pure nevertheless. Something about the way it was said. Something about the person behind the words who said it. All in all, it was very reassuring.

"Johan, can I tell you something?"

His emerald eyes peered up, resting beneath the sun which sparkled on its surface. "Anything."

"I've never been the type to get deep or personal with anyone," he revealed. "Especially not in the past year or so." He took in a large breath and took a moment to ponder about everything he was about to say. "Life had always been pretty good, even when it wasn't. I was always super energetic and happy, no matter what life threw at me. There was nothing to ever get deep about, yah know?

"But, this last year was tough. We went through a lot of shit. We both willingly sacrificed ourselves for one another. We had barely even knew each other and we were surrendering our freedom just to save the other. I mean, I still can't wrap my mind around that."

"It's just the type of people we are," Johan nodded. "You would do that for anyone."

Judai made a weird expression, as if he was truly unsure, "Would I?"

Johan tilted his head in confusion.

"You see, I've been asking myself that a lot too," Judai continued, talking with his hands at this point. "I'd like to think I would. I mean, I had already helped out a lot of friends and put my life on the line before you came. But… those times, the world was usually in some sort of danger. If I hadn't bet my life, everyone would have suffered, you know?

"But that time you offered yourself up, if we had just left you there, everything in our world would have been okay. No one would have had to suffer. And sometimes I wonder, if it had been anyone but you, would have I been so insistent on going back to that alternate universe?"

Johan continued to stare at Judai, as if subconsciously asking for him to return his gaze. "What are you saying, Judai?"

"What I'm saying is, well," he hesitated, mumbling something under his breath, as if to pep talk himself to continue. "I really care about you, Johan. You mean a lot to me. And it's…well, it's because of you that I ran away."

Johan pulled back in surprise, pointing to his chest as if to clarify who he was talking about.

"I didn't want to get close to anyone. I didn't want anyone to hold that power over me…the power of making me go crazy. You had that power, Johan. You brought out my inner darkness. Losing you made me turn evil. I gave in my sanity." Judai shivered at the thought. "And I never wanted to go through that again. I, well, I figured the only way I could prevent another breakdown is if I never got close to anyone again. So I ran away. I ran away, and I kept running. From country to country."

Johan stayed silent, listening with a fast beating heart.

"There was this one guy, Emmanuel. I haven't told you about him, but he was a good friend of mine in Amsterdam. I really liked him. We got along pretty well. Always playing pool for cash. It was easy. It was fun." Judai's voice grew a little weaker as he recalled his friend, his tone getting softer. "I, I really started to like him at one point. I think he liked me too.

"We drank together, worked together, gambled together, watched movies together, exercised together, wandered together….he was my best friend. In fact, I stayed in Amsterdam the longest because of him."

Johan gulped nervously, "What happened?"

Judai looked up at the sky, exhaling uncomfortably. " _That night_ happened."

~ _"Holy shit! What the fuck happened?!" Judai cursed, running up to a bloodied Emmanuel who limped through the front door._

 _"Nothing," he muttered, blood spilling from his mouth as he did._

 _"Don't give me that bullshit," Judai warned, propping him up with an arm under his shoulder for support. "Who the fuck did this to you?"_

 _"Judai, don't worry about it," Emmanuel assured, wincing at the pain. "We'll get them later."_

 _"Fuck that!" Judai seethed, fists balled in anger at his side. "Tell me where those fuckers are right now, Emman!" He glared at Emmanuel, not showing partiality to his weak, watery eyes._

 _"Judai—"_

 _"NOW!"_

 _Emmanuel sighed, knowing the fire in Judai's eyes were not going to die anytime soon. "Calico Sky," he gave in. "They're at the Calico Sky club."_

 _Judai growled, grabbing his keys and marching out the door. He scanned the streets as if on patrol, not stopping or giving way to anything that he passed. His anger boiled with every passing minute, fuming at an all-time high the moment he got to Calico Sky._

 _He used both hands to swing the doors open; a dramatic enterance that caught the attention of anyone nearby. The club was bouncing with music and dancers everywhere. Judai pushed his way through, feeling his eyes steam as he shot intense glares at anyone who looked his way._

 _"Hey, it's Judai!" A deep voice called out, instantly stealing the brunette's attention. It was a man with a built body, hanging around a few scrawny guys._

 _"Who's Judai?" The guy's friend asked._

 _"He's tight with Emman, that wimp that tried to stiff us tonight."_

 _"Excuse me?" Judai hissed, staring the big muscular guy down._

 _"Yeah, that prick tried to stiff me 50 Euro."_

 _"Emman is no fucking prick," Judai growled. "And he would never lose in a game of pool."_

 _"Not pool, cards."_

 _"Who the fuck are you, anyways?" Judai groaned, getting sicker of this guy's shit with each second._

 _"David."_

 _"David who?"_

 _"David Lazarus."_

 _Instantly Judai began fuming, angrily walking towards him and trying to size up. "Oh you got to be fucking with me!"_

 _David pushed him off, getting annoyed. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"_

 _"Emman always talks about you, motherfucker, you owe him 300 Euro already."_

 _"No I fucking don't!"_

 _"Hey! If you're gunna fight, get the fuck out of my club!" A bouncer hollered._

 _"Oh, we will!" Judai muttered, finding his way outside as David and his gang followed. They waited until they were outside in an alley before continuing._

 _"You better watch yourself, kid," David spat. "It's 3 on 1. If you give us any shit, we'll fix you up real nice."_

 _"Yeah, just like we did to Emman."_

 _That was all Judai needed to hear._

 _His whole body boiled with fury. All sense left his mind as he could feel his inner darkness blanket over all of the light he once illuminated. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was "look at his eyes!"_

 _When Judai came back to his senses, David and his two friends were on the ground in a bloody heap. Judai began hyperventilating, unsure of what just happened. He ran over to them to check their pulse…._

 _It was either so low that he couldn't feel it…_

 _Or they were dead._

 _In haste of the moment, Judai began running-booking it back to his place with Emmanuel. By the time he got there, his friend was passed out on the couch. Judai ran into the bathroom, nearly crying as he stared himself in the mirror. For the slightest second, he couldn't recognize who he was. He was having flashbacks of his time as the Supreme King. He didn't know what had took over him, but he shook in fear as he realized it was nothing more than the darkness in his heart._

 _Not knowing what to do, Judai ran to his room and collected all of his stuff. Tears dripped from his eyes, but he was in too much of a rush to notice. When he finally began to catch his breath, he realized his pockets were heavy. In curiosity, he stuffed his hands inside and pulled out three wallets. The total amount of Euros added up to 800. Once everything was gathered, he sat himself down to write a note._

 _Emman,_

 _I took care of those guys. I'm leaving you the money they owe you and then some. I'm sorry for leaving, but it's all I'm good for. I know last week you and I talked about getting jobs and trying to get our lives together. Suggesting maybe there was a future for us. It seems like so long ago now. But I don't think I'm good for that kind of life. I'm not ready to settle down. So I'm leaving. And I don't think I'm coming back. I'm sorry…wishing you the best. Good luck._

 _~Judai_ ~

"Oh…wow," Johan exhaled, just to fill in the silence. "That's crazy."

Judai nodded in assent. "Yeah."

Johan looked at Judai, studying the emotion on his face. He seemed so scared…so weak. He had never seen him that way before, and he wasn't sure how to approach that.

"So you're scared of getting close to people?" Johan clarified.

"Yeah."

"Because you're scared of relapsing? Letting out your inner darkness?"

"Mmm, yeah."

"But, what if they bring out your inner light?"

Judai peeked up his head. "Hm?"

"Well, it doesn't seem right to isolate yourself because you're scared of losing them or getting dark. You deserve the ability to love and invest."

"But what if I can't control it? Johan, I could have killed people that night. I can't risk that again."

"You can control it," Johan encouraged. "I can help you."

"How?" Judai quickly nodded in disagreement. "No, I can't risk that. I can't get close to you. Not again."

"Your darkness will never go away if you keep running away from it," Johan informed. "You need to face it. It's the only way. I can help you."

Judai stood up, nodding his head in denial. Anxiety obviously overriding him. "I'm not going to fall into this."

"Fall into what, Judai?" Johan rolled his eyes.

"Fall into your trap. If you're waiting for me to say I'm staying, you're wrong. I won't."

"Well then, what will you do? Leave? Run away?" Johan stood up.

"Maybe I will!" Judai groaned. "It'd be easier, anyway."

"Well, if that's how you want to solve your problems, be my guest," Johan dismissed. "I won't try to stop you."

"Fine!" Judai rolled his eyes, walking away from Johan and towards the trail they hiked up. When he realized Johan wasn't following him, he stopped and turned to look at him. "I just told you some really deep shit and you didn't even tell me if you liked me back."

Johan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What?"

"See, you don't even care about me!" he turned back to the trail. "Fuck it."

"Judai…I fucking love you."

Judai stopped in his tracks, still looking ahead. "What?"

"Judai," Johan sighed, "You said you weren't sure if you would have went back if it were anyone else."

Judai remained still, listening without seeing him.

"Well, if it wasn't you I was saving, I would have never given myself up."

Those words hit like dagger in flesh…piercing and unforgettable.

"Judai….I, I…" Johan let out a breath, not knowing what to say, "I'll go anywhere with you. If it's traveling you want, I'll drop it all to go with you. Whatever you want to do, I'll be with you 100%. Whatever you decide, I'm here for you. I want you to know that. You're not alone."

Judai smiled, finally turning around to look at Johan. He didn't have any words to say. Simply, he nodded his head firmly, flashing him a huge grin. Johan returned it, "Let's go home."


	9. I'll Follow the Sun

_**One Week Later**_

A lot had changed once Judai moved in with Johan. Be it gaining the confidence to reach out to friends like Asuka, Sho and Manjoume, or simply the fact that Judai wasn't so preoccupied with his current situation. As the days passed, he thought less and less of where he was supposed to go or who he was supposed to be.

In order to feel worthy enough to live with Johan, Judai convinced him that he would do all of his household chores for as long as he would stay. Johan declined, but when Judai threatened to leave, Johan gave in to his friend's stubbornness.

On Saturday, Judai called Asuka and asked her on a date.

"You…you want to take me out?"

"Yeah, is that okay?"

"Well, are you sure? You're not going to run away on me, are you?"

Judai cringed at the words, but forced himself to stay calm and ignore the jab. "No, I won't. So, will you go with me?"

She agreed after that. The two had went out to a park for a stroll. They brought some old bread to feed the ducks, and made sure to stop by all the flowers to give them a sniff. Lots of dogs passed by with their owners, and Judai went the extra mile to pet every single one.

They chatted about new things that came up during the six months they hadn't seen each other. Memories and old jokes arose midway through, changing the conversation to a complete reminisce of their time together.

"It's nice to have you back," she smiled, twirling a daisy around her fingers.

"Thanks," Judai laughed it off. "I've been back for a couple weeks now."

"No, I don't mean that," she corrected, mellowing her smile into a meaningful gaze. "It's nice to have the old Judai back," she hesitated, "The one who loves to joke around and talk about everything…who always sports their best smile and puts everything into their passions. That Judai. I'm happy to see him."

If Asuka tried mentioning something of this sort a week or two ago, Judai may have gotten angry. He may have been annoyed at the fact Asuka was living in the past and trying to divide a line through his being. However, Judai was beginning to understand the type of person he wanted to be. Just because he hit rock bottom earlier in the year, didn't mean he couldn't rise back to the top.

"I'm glad he's back too," he winked, breathing in the fresh air with a pure grin.

The two ended their date with dinner at local restaurant. Asuka ordered grilled chicken with asparagus and mashed potatoes while Judai ordered his favorite fried shrimp with fries. They enjoyed each other's company and talked for what seemed like hours.

"Asuka, do you have a special someone in your life?" Judai asked with pure curiosity.

She was seemingly startled by the question, though she tried to hide it. "Well, I've been on some dates here and there," she looked off to the side in deep thought, "But there's no one I want to pursue."

Judai gazed straight into her eyes, not realizing that his interest was causing her to blush and feel uncomfortable. "You're an amazing girl, you deserve the very best."

Asuka sighed, nodding in assent, yet too mellow to respond.

"Never forget that," he gestured with his fork, scooping it down to pierce a shrimp. "And never settle for less, either," he spoke with food in his mouth.

Asuka laughed at his childish behavior. "Thanks, Judai. There's this one guy I've kinda liked for a while now, but I don't think he feels the same way," she admitted.

"You should go for it," he suggested. "You'll never know unless you try."

Her eyes widened at his ignorance. "What if I know he doesn't feel the same way? Do I still try? Or do I let him go?"

He stuffed a few fries in his mouth and looked off to the side to think. "Hmm, well, is it because he's in a relationship? Or is he just clearly not interested?" He paused. "Are you friends?"

"We're friends," she confessed. "I don't know…I'm not sure if he's just really dense or interested in someone else."

"Well, since there's the slightest bit of doubt, you should try your luck," Judai smiled. "Who knows? You might hit it big like I did in poker one night in Valencia."

Asuka forced a giggle, feeling a bit at loss knowing that Judai did not feel the same way. But the chance that he would stay in Domino was rising, and as long as she could see him here and there, it would be worth it. "Thanks, Judai."

"No problem, Asuka."

On Sunday, Sho's family invited Judai and Johan over for dinner. It was awkward at first, because Kaiser was sitting at the head of the table, but it got better with time.

"Wow, you did go a lot of places, didn't you, Judai?" Ms. Marufuji asked sweetly.

"Definitely. It helped shaped who I am."

"And who are you, Judai?" Kaiser asked bluntly, eyes not quite glaring, but shooting a playful stare.

Everyone around the table was looking at Judai, waiting him to answer such a deep question in a short amount of time. He shrugged due to the pressure. "A world traveler," he smiled. "Independent, strong, optimistic and young. I still make a lot of mistakes, and I'm not sure of anything, but I do know I have some amazing friends…and I want to keep them for the rest of my life."

Sho grinned widely at that, shoving some food into his mouth. "See, bro? Judai's going to stay!"

The words "Judai" and "Stay" were really starting to bother the unsure teen, but he shrugged it off and kept a brave face.

"I'm just glad you're here," Sho smiled, looking at Judai the way he used to…as a teacher, someone to look up to.

"Me too, Sho," Judai nodded. "Me too."

When Judai called Manjoume to ask if he wanted to hang, he started the conversation with "Is my laundry done yet?" Manjoume instantly began yapping at him about how ungrateful he was, but midway through, Judai erupted into laughter.

"It isn't funny!"

"Yeah it is! You take everything too seriously," he chuckled. "I'm messing with yah, Jun. I'm calling to see if you're busy today.

"You…are?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what if I am?"

"Okay, well I guess we can try another—"

"I'm not."

"Great. Thanks for being the same old annoying Manjoume."

"It's my job."

Manjoume picked Judai up at Johan's. The two went out for drinks at a bar.

"You were really trashed that night," Manjoume laughed, drinking a whisky and coke.

"I know," Judai smiled. "Thanks for being there."

"Anytime."

The two talked about some of their funniest drunk nights. Eventually they got into day jobs and ways to keep busy. That led into how Duel Academy and all the work they had to do. They reminisced about some of the adventures they had together, and how greatly they impacted their lives.

"I used to always talk down to you," Manjoume recalled, seemingly upset about it, "But you always had my back without hesitation."

"You always had mine, Jun," Judai assured.

"I don't remember it that way."

"I do."

Manjoume sighed, taking another sip of his drink. "You forgive me for being an ass, right?"

"Manjoume," Judai smiled, "You're fine. You don't have to apologize for past you. I'd like to think we can keep our eyes on the future and focus on how we will treat people, not how we did."

Manjoume snickered at how lame that sounded, but he nodded in assent. "I suppose you're right." He raised his glass in preparation to cheers, "To the future!"

"To the future!"

The two clinked glasses and laughed it off. Manjoume had feelings for Judai, but often times they were misplaced. They were jumbled around in the mess that they call "Manjoume's emotions" to the point where he couldn't figure out what was what. But cheering to the future and sharing a drink with Judai made Manjoume realize that he really just felt regret for how he used to treat Judai, and a longing to want to be in his life as a friend. He nodded at the realization.

That he could do.

"Long day?" Judai asked as Johan walked in after a night class at University.

"You could say that," Johan smirked. "Did you see my duel on tv?"

"Of course! Wish I coulda went, but today was the only day I could spend time with Kenzan."

"No worries, that guy is always busy," Johan waved it off. "I know how hard it can be to get his time."

The two spent some time hanging out on the couch, relaxing and watching TV. They cooked up a late dinner and got ready to call it a night.

"See yah in the morning," Johan waved.

"Night!"

The two went off into their separate rooms and fell into a slumber.

"Get the fuck out of my house! Now!"

Judai quickly sat up in bed, breathing fast in response to the person screaming in his ear. "Johan? What's going on?"

"You're such a sleaze!" He spat, grabbing his legs and pulling them off the side of his bed. "Get out. NOW!"

Judai began hyperventilating, not sure of what was going on or why. "Can we talk about it?"

"You fucked Manjoume the other night."

"What? No I didn't?!"

"Oh really? Then why did he come to my door with your clothes saying that you "forgot" them? Fucking pathetic, Judai."

"No, you don't understand—"

"You tell me you love me, but then go fuck some other guy! Disgusting!" Johan growled. "How can I ever trust you?"

Judai breathed harder, thinking of words to say but they wouldn't come out.

"You're so fucking flaky. You don't know what you want and you can't commit. I can't believe I'm letting you live in my house…because I care about you….love you," Johan started tearing up, "And you treat me this way!"

"Johan, you have it all wrong, listen, what happened was—"

"Just leave; it's all you're good for."

Judai cringed at the words, feeling anger and betrayal boil in his heart. Even though he had done no wrong, those words pierced him in the heart, and there was nothing left to say.

"I can't believe you," Judai groaned. "I can't believe you would say that to me," he continued, getting up on his feet and glaring at Johan. "But I guess even the rudest of people speak the truth. You're right. Leaving is all I'm good for. So let me do my last chore and let myself out—thankfully, this piece of trash knows how to walk."

Johan's eyes were tearing, but he didn't respond. He merely watched as Judai began gathering his stuff. "Lock the door when you leave," Johan muttered heavily before walking away.

The teen began sobbing; mostly at the fact that Johan would throw him under the bus so fast…after everything they had been through.

But it was for the best. People…friends…no matter how stable they look, they have the ability to hurt you. Ruin your life and let out your inner darkness. Judai knew this; he was upset he didn't go with his gut earlier.

He grabbed his bags and ran out of the house, calling up a taxi and getting a lift to the closest train station.

His mind was swarming with thoughts…thoughts of betrayal and depression. Who did he have now? No one. He had nothing and no one and he knew there was no one he could lean on. Even if he wanted to. No, people don't really care about each other. They're only in it as long as it helps themselves. Judai knew that now, and he would never-

"JUDAI! LOOK OUT!"

A Bright light from a vehicle came at him point blank, leaving Judai with nothing but screams…

And screaming is how we woke up.

It was a quick scream, one that Judai muffled as fast as he could.

He looked around fast, noticing that he was still in his bed at Johan's place. His bed was filled with sweat and his heart was pounding loud enough to hear. He quickly got out of bed to strip his sheets and take a moment to breathe. An awful feeling resided in his heart. He couldn't shake the dream…couldn't forget that someone betraying him was always a possibility. A possibility he couldn't allow to happen.

The events were so real and vivid in Judai's mind that they got him to start packing his bags. He gulped down his nerves and continued.

 _I have to go, it's part of who I am._

"Judai, don't do this."

"Leave me alone, Yubel," Judai groaned, going forward with the task.

"It was just a dream, let's talk about th—"

"I told you to leave me alone!" He yelled, glaring at her point blank. "You're the reason for all of this! This is all of your fucking fault!" he seethed, narrowing his eyes in anger. "If you would just leave me the fuck alone like I told you to a long time ago, then maybe this shit would have stopped bothering me. So do me a fucking favor and never talk to me again. I don't care how lonely I get. I'd rather die alone than with you humping my back."

Yubel frowned, but obeying his orders by retreating.

Judai slung his bags on his shoulders and tip toed down the stairs. He called up a taxi so he could get a lift to the closest train station. While waiting, he wrote Johan a quick note.

Johan,

I'm sorry for leaving. I really thought I'd be able to stay, but my mind has been relapsing without my consent. I guess that means no one can stop the darkness, not even you. Thank you for everything. Let the others know I love them. I know they will never want to see me again, but just let them know I care. I'm sorry for doing this, but I can't control the need inside of me. Wishing you the best,

~Judai

He sighed upon reading it, but left it on the table nevertheless. The taxi driver soon came. Once arriving to the station, he looked for the next train, which was in half an hour, and waited to embark.

In that slight moment of time, no part of his consciences was stopping him from hopping on the train. Most likely because running away was always his go to-a safe and reliable option. He wasn't thinking about Johan, Manjoume, Sho or Asuka. No one was on his mind. Only himself. And from now on, that's the way it would stay.

"Train number 89, now embarking!" The speaker called.

Judai sighed, walking off towards the trains to leave his home behind.

"Ticket?" One of the workers asked.

Judai forced a smile, handing over his ticket. He began walking beside the train, with his head hung low and an awful feeling in his stomach.

"I feel bad for Emmanuel," a voice hollered out from afar.

Judai froze at the words, shivering as uncertainty ran down his spine.

"If he had heard his story the same way I did, he may have been able to stop you from running away."

 _Johan._

The brunette turned around to see Johan in the distance, being guarded by a worker whom was stopping him from passing the yellow line.

But Judai couldn't move. He simply stood there in awe, unsure of what to do.

"If you don't come over here, I'm going to have to buy a ticket to speak to you over _there._ "

Still, Judai couldn't move. His feet seemed to be glued to the cement for some odd reason. He couldn't move, and he didn't want to.

Johan and the worker exchanged a few words. Finally, the worker allowed him to run up to Judai so he could talk.

"Judai, it's okay, everything is okay."

Suddenly, the air left Judai's lungs and his legs turned to jelly. He began quivering, holding his chest just so his heart wouldn't pop out. Johan put an arm on his shoulder, rubbing his back smoothly.

"It's okay. Everything's okay," he repeated, trying to console him.

"No," Judai muttered under his breath. "You're supposed to hate me," he exhaled. "You're supposed to tell me to leave. That you can't trust me."

"But I do! I do trust you. And I love you…and I'm going to help you through this. Come home with me, let's talk about it."

"Johan…" Judai looked up at him with worry in his eyes, gleaming in the state of liquid tears. "I don't have a home."

"You have me," Johan assured, leading Judai slowly away from the train. "I'll be your home. Whatever home means to you, I'll be it."

Step by step, unsure decision by unsure decision, finally Judai crossed the line with Johan. All the while, Johan whispered words of encouragement. "You're wonderful," he whispered sweetly. "You have so many wonderful stories and so much to offer the world. You're so talented and strong. You would do anything for anyone in a heartbeat. You have a smile that shines like the sun. The ability to befriend everyone you meet. You are so great, and we all want you in our life," Johan sang.

Eventually, Johan was able to lead Judai outside of the train station. The two stood under the black sky, looking up to see the stars dazzling above them. It was a full moon that splashed light into the sky, leaving a beautiful impression on the darkness.

They stood out there for a while. Johan refused to leave the station until Judai had a clear mindset. Once Judai had gained his breath, he looked over at Johan in confusion. "How did you find me?" he asked.

Johan smiled softly. "I don't know what happened tonight. But I thought I heard a scream. A bad feeling came over me, so I went to your room to make sure you were okay. But you weren't there. I ran downstairs and found your note. I knew exactly where to find you."

Judai nodded, letting out an embarrassed smile. "I see."

"Judai," Johan hummed, "You are worth everything to me. Let's talk about what happened so that sort of thing doesn't happen again."

The two walked over to the car. Before either one slipped in, Judai stopped his friend.

"Johan."

"Yeah?"

"Most people, well, I always wished there was something they would do or say, to try and make me change my mind and stay. But, most times, we never did that much talking anyway. So, I never thought twice…it was alright."

Johan listened intently.

"That's a song," Judai revealed. "And that's the way I always felt whenever I would leave. No one would come after me." The teen took a moment to breathe and look up at the stars. "I was so frightened by my darkness that I was always following the sun, no matter where it lead me." He looked back to Johan, lending him a perfect smile. "Johan, I'm starting to think you're a ray of sun. And…if you're staying in Domino," he sighed in relief, "Then I'll follow you home."

Johan smiled at the words. "Judai," he embraced his friend in a loving hug, "let's go home."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Thanks for reading everyone!_**

 ** _Fun fact: The story wasn't supposed to end happily. Originally I was going to have Judai run away and leave everyone behind, never conquering the feeling of dissatisfaction in his life. However, as I continued to write, I began rooting for Judai. I wanted him to be happy. I figured, maybe if I end this story with him coming out on top, it'll signify that everyone can too. This was a little side project that helped me come to terms with my return to the U.S after studying abroad for four months and returning to an empty house as well. This fic helped me express some annoying thoughts and sort of transfer them into my passion (writing) as I'd like to think Judai would have done with dueling. Anyhow, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! All my loving!_**


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